The Colours of Life
by WaJB
Summary: REVISED! What are the Colours of Life? The whole gang is about to find out! ...Contains HYxRP, DMxHS, WCxSP, TB, CB, MU, DC and QW!
1. Prologue: The Start

DISCLAIMER: I have no IDEA who keeps telling people that I own Gundam Wing but it's got to STOP!! I only own Quatre… OK ok…I don't own him either.  This fic is AU (aren't they all?) well kinda AU, I think…It may contain happy couples, angry people, complete losties, lots of blonds, supernatural powers, a rabid bunny…OR it may NOT contain any of the above, I'm sorta winging it here. Stop reading the disclaimer and start reading the fic!! 

**THIS IS THE REVISED VERSION!**

The Colours of Life

Prologue: The Start

By: J.B. Santiago

_- Earth: Time Unknown –_

_It was getting worse.  The wind snapped at Keioa's threadbare cloak. 'When had everything changed so much?' Keioa thought as she tried to control herself from shivering.  Only weeks ago, she was celebrating at some ball, wearing exquisite clothes, eating the most succulent foods and surrounded by adoring admirers.  Or maybe it was months ago?  She really couldn't place time much these days.  Ever since IT happened.  The Darkness had come so quickly; the Elder's resistance too little, too late, wiping out most of the Greater Council.  Keioa smiled bitterly, 'Stupid old fools.  Becoming complacent, not even sensing the Darkness.'  She trudged along the dark road.  She couldn't talk, of course.  Hadn't she become complacent as well?  No matter.  She would stop this darkness.  Her smile turned into a smirk as she placed her hand on a huge granite rock situated on the side of the road.  Keioa's hand glowed an intense red before the glowing red consumed her entirely.  Then the light dissipated.  Leaving nothing but an afterglow in the night, the wind still howling._

***************

- Earth: Real Time –

Paperwork.  How much paper was needed to sign ONE peace treaty? Relena Darlian eyed the paperwork, trying to disappear it away with all her formidable willpower.  The paperwork didn't even flinch.  Relena placed both hands over her eyes and rubbed them vigorously.

         "Don't do that, that'll just hurt your eyes more." A voice said from her side.

Relena smiled, she turned to look at the voice, using her hands now as a prop up for her chin.  "I'll stop, when you start coming through the front door instead of my window, Heero."

Heero Yuy didn't change his emotionless expression as he walked up to Relena and offered his hand to her.  "It's past two in the morning.  You need to be home."  He didn't wait for her to answer as he grabbed her hands with his and half dragged her towards the door.  Relena was really too tired to complain and she liked it when he held her hands, his rough, callused hands rubbed against her soft, smooth ones.  However, she was Relena Darlian and she wasn't about to be bossed about even if it was for her own good and it came from the person she loved the most. 

         "Heero! Let me just get some documents - " Relena stopped when Heero gave her his famous death glare.  She smiled widely, leaned towards him and kissed him on the lips for a few seconds, momentarily shocking him enough to give Relena time to grab her suitcase and drag HIM towards the door.  Heero stared at the honey-blond leading him towards the entrance of the office building.  It had taken him three years to finally admit to her that he loved her and two years on she could still leave him light headed after a kiss.  He would never be a very emotional person but when Relena was concerned he only needed one emotion – love.

***************

- Colony L2: Real Time – 

         "Hilde-babe!  Where are you!?" yelled Duo Maxwell.  He had searched everywhere in his house but he couldn't find his wife anywhere. 'Where is she? I have the best news!' His eyes beamed even more brightly as he imagined Hilde's surprised look when she heard his surprise.  He looked out onto the backyard again, when he heard the front door bang loudly.

         "Hilde! You home?!" Duo ran to the front door, almost knocking down the table in the hall.

         "Help me out, will you!?" Hilde Maxwell (formerly Scheibker) said trying not to drop all the groceries.  Duo took all the bags, much to the shock of Hilde, placed all of it on the kitchen table then led Hilde to the lounge room, making her sit on the sofa while he kneeled in front of her.  Hilde's eyes narrowed suspiciously at her all too cute husband.  

'Something's up,' she thought trying to figure out what it was.  Then her mind clicked. 'He's going to miss our anniversary because of some Preventer mission!'  Hilde was about to tell him to wipe that smile off his face and that he'd be sleeping on the couch for a whole year if wasn't there for their anniversary, when Duo beat her to it.

         "Hilde-babe, I've just gotten you the best anniversary gift ever!" Duo started before taking in a deep breath then continuing, "From Monday to next month we will be spending our free time in the city of love, Paris!  Where we will dine and see sights and make sweet love under the stars at the - " Duo continued to rattle of places in Paris where they would be…ummm…stargazing, but Hilde hadn't heard him. 'Ohmigod! He's taking me on vacation to PARIS!!! For our anniversary!!! He didn't forget!!! Oh how could I have doubted such a cute, adorable totally hot babe like him!' Hilde snapped out of her thoughts and started to smother Duo with kisses who, complied with her requests, but before saying between kisses,          "Or we could just make sweet love here…" 

Hilde stopped her advances and smacked him on the back of the head.  

"Hey! Only kidding!" Duo smiled charmingly again.

Hilde nodded then started kissing him again. "Good."  And no more talking was done for a really long time after that.

****************

- Colony L3: Real Time –

"Hey, Trowa, we're going to do three shows on earth!" Catherine Bloom smiled at her brother.  "You can catch up with some of your old friends there."

Trowa Barton wiped off the clown make up from his face.  He threw the tissue in the wastebasket next to the dresser.  His trailer was immaculately clean.  He looked at his sister, "Yes.  It will be good to see them again."  He turned to go into his bedroom.  "Good night, Cathie.  Sleep well."

Catherine yawned and stretched her arms, " 'Night, Trowa, pleasant dreams, ok?"  She smiled again at her brothers retreating form.

She made her way towards her trailer after Trowa had closed his bedroom.  Trowa had become more open, after the wars but sometimes she wished he'd say a bit more.  Catherine smiled, shaking her auburn hair round her.  'I need to stop worrying about my kid brother…He never was a kid…' Inside her trailer she tried to think of more positive thoughts but something in the back of her head kept nagging her.

***************

**     - Unknown Location: Real Time - **

**           "The time is coming.  We will take the keys and codes.  We will unleash our master onto these pathetic people."  A voice in a completely dark place hissed.  Other voices were heard but none were cohesive.  **

**"The time is near."**

         ***************

- Colony L4: Real Time – 

"Mr. Winner, this is your schedule for this month.  You fly to Earth on Monday, for the Peace Unity Ball in Monaco, from there you have the Colony Summit Talks in Paris which will continue until Friday.  In between you need to go to the ESUN Conference on Wednesday and you have to attend a private concert for the Children's Benefit and Ball on Thursday.  Then - " Ms. Demas stopped when Mr Winner held out his palm.

"Just leave it on my table, Ms. Demas.  Thank you for your help." Quatre Rebarba Winner smiled politely at his secretary, who placed the schedule on his table and asked if he needed anything else.  "No, no, thank you, though." He smiled again and his secretary smiled back before closing the door behind her.

Quatre sighed.  So much work to do. 'At least I'm going to Earth.' He thought. ''It would be good to see Relena and Heero again.'  He knew Relena would be there for the Summit Talks and where ever Relena was Heero wasn't far behind.  He smiled to himself when he thought of how happy Heero seemed now after finally getting him to admit his love for Relena.  It hadn't been easy, but he had help…

Quatre reminisced about that time.  Relena was at her customary ball for her birthday – her eighteenth - and had began to lose hope in Heero ever being able to return her feelings…Until someone had forcefully made Heero realise what he would lose if she lost hope in him.  Heero had proposed to her that night, in front of the worldwide media.  Relena, of course, said no, even though everyone knew she so desperately wanted to say yes.

Quatre chuckled remembering Heero's crestfallen face when she had said no, then it had lit up like the brightest star in the sky when she said they should date first.  Now they had been engaged for a year and a half now, a wedding in a few more months.  Quatre leaned forward to open one of the desk drawers.  His platinum blond hair falling over his eyes as he searched through his drawer, finding what he was looking for, he closed the drawer and held out the picture frame.  It contained a picture of all the Gundam pilots and Hilde, Relena, Catherine and Sally.  They were wearing casual clothes and all had silly smiles on (except Heero, Trowa and Wufei).  Quatre didn't look at the photo for long as he flipped it over to the back and opened the frame.  Inside was another picture.  Quatre looked at the face staring right back at him.  The face that had convinced Heero to admit his feelings to Relena and millions of people around the world.  The face that haunted his dreams.  

The face of Dorothy Catalonia.

         *****************

- Space: Real Time –

"Ugh! I told you we were going the wrong way!" Sally Po let out an irritated sigh at her partner.

"If you hadn't taken so long, I wouldn't have been in a rush, onna!" Wufei Chang glared at his partner. 'This was all that stupid onna's fault!' He thought as he navigated the spacecraft through a meteor shower.

"If you had listened to me in the first place we wouldn't be in a meteor shower!" Sally's usually calm temperament evaporating quickly. 'He calls me onna one more time, I'll call him boy!'  She looked at the map on the screen.  "Were fifteen points off-course.  Once you get out of this shower, take three points right.  We'll only be a few minutes late if we do that.  Lady Une wont mind too much." Sally read the message Une had sent them again. 'I hope.'

Wufei mumbled something too low to be heard but followed Sally's instructions.  Earth was now only 12 points away.  They'd make it on time.

         ****************

- Paris, Earth - Real Time – 

Her long platinum blond hair swayed behind her as she eyed the clothes before her in a Paris boutique.  A sales lady came back with the dress she had gotten made.

"Madam, here is the dress you requested." The sales lady said speaking with a heavy French accent, showed the dress to the blond before placing it in a protective cover.  

"How much?" She asked in perfect French, her lavender-grey eyes bore into the sales lady who gulped and gave her the price.  The price was enough to feed a family of four for a week, but the blond just nodded and took out her chequebook.  Signing her name on the cheque, she blew at the ink, before handing it over to the sales lady.  Taking the dress, she sauntered outside and climbed into a golden Porsche (which was in an illegal parking space) and sped away.

The sales lady released the breath she was holding.  She was new to this job and had met a whole heap of snobs but that woman…The way she held her self, she seemed so superior, so in control.  The sales lady shuddered, that woman had seemed so cold.  She looked at the signature on the cheque. _D Catalonia._

         *****************

-  _Place Unknown - Time Unknown – _

_She could see them all talking, jabbering on like idiots.  This wasn't going to help them.  They needed a plan, a damn good plan.  And she would give them the perfect plan.  She looked at all the face there, all looking scared and pathetic.  'I'm going to save the world and no one's even going to know I did it.' She smirked before raising her arms in the air.  Glowing red orbs began to dance in her hands.  The red light stopped everyone from talking in the darkened room.  They all stared at her.  She stopped with the glowing trick and smirked again. "Good.  Now that I have your attention, lets get down to business, shall we?"  She sat on one of the chairs left vacant at the large round table in the middle of the room.  "Right now, as you idiots - " this cause a few grumbles around the room, "act like chickens without their heads, the darkness continues to spread on Earth.  We cannot hide forever in Joir.  Without Earth free from the darkness then Joir ceases to exist."  She paused, letting that thought sink into their thick heads. "The only way for humanity to survive this darkness is to make the ultimate sacrifice."  _

_The room erupted in voices, most of them shouting never!  She shook her blond hair out of her eyes and banged her fists onto the table. "Never!? Look around you!  Joir is beginning to darken!  It will reach here soon unless we stop it on Earth first.  Don't be fools, the Elders thought they would be immune to the darkness; that our kind would be immune to the darkness.  Fools!  They forgot that THEY their core is human.  What has that gotten them? DEATH!  All of the Elders are dead! The Greater Council is in ruins and you idiots still think we can survive the Darkness?!" Her eyes blazed a dangerous red. _

_"You all know my sister is right." A voice said in the background.  Keioa had teleported quietly and had watched her sister, Lavirea; get angrier with the remaining members of the Greater Council. She dimly wondered if this was all that were left of her kind. Probably._

_Lavirea stared at her sister, her eyes becoming subdued, grateful for some assurance.  "With the ultimate sacrifice we will be able to seal the Darkness away.  If we lock it away it ill be unable to escape for the realignment is too long for it to be able to regenerate to ever escape again.  Enough time for us to rebuild the world again."_

_         "Rebuild? Again!? Ha! Without our power? I would rather die than be powerless!" A voice boomed from the other side of the room._

_Lavirea glared darkly at Masem, her eyes glowing red again.  "Maybe you should confer with your Council before you say such stupid things.  We need all five powers working together for this to work."_

_         "Together?  We have never worked together before, how can you be so sure it will even work?" Masem glared back at her, his black eyes piercing._

_         Lavirea smiled, sweetly.  "How do you think Joir was made?  Through fairy dust?" Her smirk said everything – Do you really want to follow an idiot like Masem?  The remaining council members started murmuring to their respective selves.  Keioa smiled at Beijn, she had always liked the way his dark hair fell over his baby blue eyes, even at times like these she still had childish thoughts.  Beijn gazed at her, smiling back slightly._

_He walked towards the table, his blue-tinted clothes somehow shined in the darkened room.  "I agree with the Red Council.  There is no other way to deal with this darkness."  He looked at the other Blue Council members.  They conferred telepathically.  It seemed to go one forever until Beijn blinked his eyes and stared at Lavirea.  "The Blue Council supports you."_

_         ******************_

Person who is writing this:

To all the people who read the original, I'm currently revising TCoL so there should be no silly spelling errors and such.  There are also extra scenes added in everywhere so watch out for them!  (I feel like a DVD with extra features! ^_^)  To all the people who are reading this the first time, hope you enjoy it! R&R, C&C, flames and e-mail are all very welcome!!

OH!! And THANK YOU to ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO REVIEWED MY OTHER FICS, THANKS HEAPS!!!!!


	2. Chapter 1: All Coming Together Now

Disclaimer: I own three goldfish but no Gundam Wing **sob.**

This is AU.  I'm pretty sure of it.

So a few people think I should continue? Ok, your asking for it!!!

**THIS IS THE REVISED VERSION!**

The Colours of Life

Chapter 1:  All Coming Together Now

By: J.B. Santiago

- Paris, Earth – Real time – 

"Bienvenue à l'aeroport de Paris."  Hilde heard over the PA system as all the passengers moved out of the terminal.  She could still not believe Duo had gotten her a trip to Paris for their anniversary gift.  She glanced at her husband who had decided to go all out and look completely like a tourist.  He wore a black and white Hawaiian shirt, black khakis, tinted sunglasses, a black visor, a camera dangling from his neck and a video camera strapped to his hand.

Hilde giggled before leaning in and kissing him. "Oh, Duo!"

"Whoa! Hilde babe, the faster we get the luggage, the faster the God of Love can show you a good time in our Four Seasons hotel!"  Duo made a mad dash to the luggage carriers but Hilde grabbed onto the camera around his neck. "Ugh! Ouch Hilde!"

"Uh uh.  Were getting the luggage dropped off at the hotel because we - ," Hilde pulled the cord for Duo to come closer, " – are going sightseeing!  First the Eiffel Tower, then the Louvre, the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees and THEN we go SHOPPING!!"

Duo sweatdropped.  "But, Hilde, baby, when are we going to make hot passionate love?"  He made puppy dog eyes at her.

Hilde whapped him on the head before standing on her tiptoes to give him a light kiss on the lips. "You know how I like to buy certain…objects…for our games…"  She whispered, giving Duo a seductive smile.

"OH! THAT kind of shopping!  Well what are we waiting for! Lets go shopping!"  Duo grabbed her hand and began to run towards an exit.

"Ugh, the LUGGAGE, Duo!"

         ****************

  - Joir – Unknown Time -__

_Lavirea smirked.  As soon as Beijn and the Blue Council had declared their support for her; the Gold and Green Councils lay down their support for her.  It was a good thing the Blue Council had the majority of people and not the Black Council.  She suppressed a shudder.  If the Black Council had the majority…Lavirea shook her head.  Thank the heavens that Masem's supporters had mostly been wiped out.  She knew she shouldn't be having such thoughts even if they had been ruthless savages but hadn't most of the Red Council been destroyed?  Her mind kept whirling around thoughts of their peoples deaths, the diminishing hope that Joir would survive – that THEY would fail and Earth would die…_

_"Sister, stop thinking like that.  Don't waste what precious energy you have left." Lavirea turned towards the voice.  Her sister, Keioa, stood there with her arms folded in front of her chest, her eyes blazing red defiantly._

_Lavirea walked away from the dimensional pool she had been staring at. "Younger sister," she said walking towards Keioa and hugging her. "You are right.  We must conserve our energy. The Darkness will be stopped." They looked at each other's eyes.  Keioa could not hold the façade for long. She trembled; her defiant eyes beginnning to weep.  "I'm so afraid." She clung to her sister more tightly._

_Lavirea gently swayed her in her arms, crooning a soft lullaby. 'So am I, so am I.' She thought as Joir darkened even more._

         ***************

- Paris, Earth – Real time –

"I love Paris in April…So beautiful" Relena murmured to herself as she twirled around outside on her hotel balcony, that had great views of the city.  A strong yet gentle hand grasped her fingers and pulled her close, stopping her in mid-twirl.  She smiled up at her intruder. "Don't you think so, Heero?"

Heero had a small smile on his lips.  'Anything that could make Relena happy was beautiful,' He reflected.  He bent his head down, to kiss her sweet supple lips.  Relena closed her already half-lidded eyes and leaned upwards to meet Heero's pliant lips – then there was a knock at the door.

The two lovers snapped open their eyes, Relena stopping herself from giggling when she saw Heero's frustrated look.  "Wait here, I'll check who it is."  Reluctantly letting go of Relena, Heero went to answer the door.

"Bonjour monsieur.  A Monsieur Winner is in the lobby to meet with Madame Darlian."  The bellhop said uneasily, as he tried not to wilt under the glaring man's eyes.

"Quatre's here?  It'll be good to see him again."  Relena said popping up behind a still glaring Heero.  She gave the bellhop a polite smile and handed him a handful of Francs.   "Please tell Monsieur Winner that we'll be down shortly."

The bellhop blushed and nodded at Relena before hurrying away.

"Heero, you didn't have to scare the poor boy."  Relena entered their bedroom, to retrieve her coat.

"Scare him?  I didn't even say anything to him."  He closed the door and followed Relena into the bedroom

Relena laughed.  "My perfect soldier, your humour is dry at best."  She put on her white tennis shoes before entwining her fingers in his.  She looked into his eyes and grinned.  "Almost forgot - " She said before kissing Heero on the lips.

Quatre thanked the bellhop, who seemed a little jittery, for the news.  'Poor boy probably got a Yuy Death Glare.'  He mused, chuckling to himself.  It would be good to see his friends again.  Quatre sat down on one of the plush recliner chairs in the lobby of the hotel.  He had already seen other delegates, not many though, who were all attending the Peace Summit Talks.  But he hadn't seen her, yet.  He knew she would be in Paris for the Talks but still hadn't seen her.  Maybe Relena would know where she was staying; over the years Relena and Dorothy had become quite close friends, it was a complete bafflement to the political arena as to why such two opposite people with such a past could be close friends.  Quatre knew why – He could see under that layer of conflict-hungry psycho-bitch that everyone else saw and he could see how kind Dorothy really was.  He sighed, lost in his thoughts.  'Why can't I get you out of my mind?'

Looking at his watch, he realised ten minutes had already gone by.  Trying not to blush as he thought of how silly he must look just staring into space; he got up and was about to walk to the restaurant for a drink when a voice stopped him.

"Quatre! It's so good to see you!  Sorry for keeping you waiting.  Heero, umm, lost his tie."  Relena hugged Quatre hiding her blushing face with her hair.

"It's good to see you again too, Relena.  Don't worry, I wasn't waiting very long.  I was just about to get a drink." He motioned towards the restaurant before letting go of Relena and smiling at her stoic fiancé. "It's good to see you too, Heero."

"Hello Quatre."  Heero showed a small smile and gave Quatre's hand a good shake before his features reverted back into emotionless mode. 

"Lets have lunch first, before we go sightseeing, is that ok with you Quatre?  I want to see as much of Paris before I get bogged in the Summit Talks."  Relena gave a small smile, rolling her eyes at how much work she would have in a few days.

"Sounds good.  How about the hotel restaurant, ok?  Or do you want to find another place to eat?"  Quatre asked, ever considerate to others.

"Hotel is fine.  Hope you guys are ready for some hard shopping."  Relena tangled her hand with Heero's.  She led the way to the restaurant with Heero and Quatre trailing behind her, both mouthing, 'Shopping?'

         **************

- Preventer Headquarters, Earth – Real Time –

"Bah!  All the way from space, upholding justice against dissidents, just to go to Paris to protect a bunch of children?!"  Wufei ranted on and on in his office after he and his partner had been informed by Lady Une of their new mission.

Sally tried not to laugh and was trying to control herself by reading the mission report over and over again.  Finally she couldn't take it anymore and started laughing really loudly.

"Woman!  What can be so funny?!  We are Preventers!  Not baby-sitters!"  He glared at his partner who was now rolling around on the floor.

Sally sighed, trying to control her laughter.  She fanned herself with the report.  "Wufei, it isn't that bad.  We're being sent there to protect the delegates children who are there for the Children's Charity Ball.  We have a very important job, these kids are the future, you know."  Sally couldn't help the silly grin on her face, she kept picturing Wufei with the children…

Wufei intensified his glare on Sally who had doubled over and had started laughing again.  "I.  WILL.  NOT.  DO.  IT."  He said grinding his teeth together before stalking out of his office.  He could still hear Sally's laughter all the way down the corridor.

After a few minutes, Sally calmed down, dabbing her eyes with a tissue, clearing away the tears.  She looked at the mission report again.  She breathed in deeply, not wanting to burst out laughing again.  Lady Une had given them orders to protect the children of a number of delegates who would be there for the Ball…But there was a catch…Certain delegates not wanting to scare their kids had requested it be done undercover.  Lady Une had wholly agreed, she already had a certain someone definitely in mind for this 'mission'.  Sally scanned the report, finding what she was looking for, took a highlighter from Wufei's desk and highlighted something on the report before leaving it on Wufei's desk, holding her aching sides.

On the desk, highlighted in neon yellow were the words, 'Wufei Chang - undercover as Purple Dinosaur.  Report to C&M-U Department for fittings.

         **************

- Unknown Place – Real Time –

"Sir, we have captured the 23rd sacrifice.  The 24th is still to be found.  My soldiers are ready for Phase One, Sir!"  A nondescript Man saluted at a silhouette of a figure in the dark room.

"Find the last one.  Then Phase One will begin."  A raspy reply said.

"Sir!"  The soldier hurried out of the room, closing the heavy oak doors shut.

The figure stared around the blackened room.  Voices began to start up again as the light from the opened door had been extinguished.

**"The time is near."**

***************

   - Paris, Earth – Real Time –

Quatre couldn't remember how many shops they had been to.  'Too many.'  He thought as he and Heero dutifully followed Relena into another boutique carrying numerous packages the former Queen of the World had already bought.  'At least Relena helped me buy presents for all his sisters.'  He looked around the boutique, this one specialising in shoes, it seemed.  Turning towards Heero, he abruptly stopped when a flash of blond caught his eye.  Long, platinum blond, loosely tied into a ponytail of sorts.  'Allah, is that her?'  Quatre dropped his packages on top of Heero's before mumbling an excuse and darting out of the boutique and towards the blond.  He narrowly missed an oncoming car who beeped angrily at him but he ignored it as he reached out and tapped the blond woman on the shoulder.  His smile turned into disappointment when he realised it wasn't her.  This woman had the same hair colour and pale complexion but her eyes weren't an icy lavender-grey.  They were a light jade colour and she had an impish smile on her face.

"Sorry.  I thought you were someone I knew."  Quatre said sheepishly.  Turning around to walk back to the boutique.

"That's ok, Mr Winner."  

Quatre froze, then turned around slowly.  "I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

"Nope! But everyone knows who you are!  President of Winner Corp.   One of the most eligible bachelors in the Universe."  The woman gave him a wink, a slight American accent becoming more noticeable as she smiled cutely at Quatre.

"Oh…Uhh…Thank you, I think."  Quatre blushed and turned back towards the boutique.

"Oh!  Where are my manners!  Mr Winner, my name is Bethany.  Bethany Montague."  She grabbed Quatre's hand and shook it vigorously.  "Would you like to join me for a cappuccino?"  Her smile widened, as Quatre flushed.

"Umm…I'm sorry Miss Bethany - " He was cut off by her.

"Just call me Bethany."

"Ok, Bethany.  It's very kind of you to offer me a drink but I must be getting back to my friends in that boutique."  He pointed to the boutique across the road.  "Thank you, anyway."

"Oh, that's ok!  Too bad cousin dear isn't here.  I'm sure she'd love to meet you."  Bethany's eyes twinkled with something Quatre couldn't place.

"Meet who, cousin?"  Quatre froze at the sound of the person's voice behind him.

"Mr Winner, of course!  Mr Winner, meet my cousin Dorothy.  Dorothy Catalonia."

         ***********

Person writing this:

Yeah! Another revised Chapter done!  I will be adding scenes (most probably in chapters 4, 4.2 and any others I think need fixing!)

Thanks again to all who have reviewed!! R&R, C&C, flames and e-mail are necessary to live!! (^_~ unless you're trying to kill me) Bye! ^_^


	3. Chapter 2: Together Now and More Shoppin...

Disclaimer:  Did I mention this was an AU?  I don't own blah and all that and Gundam Wing.

Did I mention this was an AU fic?  Thank you all who have reviewed!  It's a warm and fuzzy feeling I get inside when I know someone has read my fics!  Thanks again!

The Colours of Life

Chapter 2: Together Now and More Shopping

By: J.B. Santiago

Dorothy looked at him.  His eyes.  His goddamn eyes.  She hated his eyes.  They were the type of blue eyes she could be caught staring at forever.  She felt as if her surroundings had disappeared and there was only her and him; just staring into each other's eyes.  She hated the way he made her FEEL.  'Damn him and everything he does!'  Dorothy tore her eyes away from his to glare at her smiling cousin.  "We know each other."  She gritted out, as she tried to push down the emotions, being so close to him, brought about.  

Bethany's smile just got wider.  "Mr Winner, are you going to join us for coffee now?"

"No." Came Dorothy's reply just as Quatre said "Yes."

They returned to just staring at each other and Bethany tried to repress a giggle.  "It seems cousin dear, doesn't think you want a cup of coffee.  We could have tea instead."  Her voice, plainly containing mirth.

"Quatre!  There you are!  Poor Heero can't hold all these packages."  Relena said giggling at the sight Heero made as he tried to juggle all of Relena and Quatre's packages without breaking anything.  "He is so stubborn, he won't even let me carry anything.  Oh!  Hello Dorothy, it's good to see you again!"  Seeing who was with Quatre and making her way over for a hug.

"Miss Relena, it's good to see you again too." Dorothy said, returning the hug.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends, Dory?"  Bethany said smiling at Relena.

Dorothy winced at the childhood nickname, before giving her cousin another icy glare.  "Miss Relena, this is my younger cousin, Bethany Montague.  Bethany this is my friend, Relena Darlian and her fiancé Heero Yuy."  She motioned to each one of them.  

"You're my role model, Miss Relena.  You're so passionate about your beliefs."  Bethany grinned and shook Relena's hand.

"Why thank you Bethany.  That's very kind of you to say."  Relena said, giving Bethany a polite smile.

"Well, we must be off now.  It was good to see you again, Miss Relena, Mr Yuy.  I'll see you at the Summit Talks and the Ball."  She nodded her head before grabbing Bethany's arm and began to walk briskly away from the scene.  She stopped and looked over her shoulder, "Hope to see you there too, Mr Winner.  Goodbye."

Bethany gave her cousin an irritated look before waving happily at the three standing by the café. "Bye!  See you soon!"  She yelled before getting out of Dorothy's grasp and walked at her pace.

Relena gave a quizzical look at the two blonds as they turned a corner disappearing.  She glanced at Quatre who was just staring at where Dorothy had just been.  Relena shook her head, 'Poor Quatre, I thought I had it bad with Heero.'  She giggled as she remembered Heero still juggling the bags.  "Quatre do you think you could help Heero, he won't accept my help."

Quatre snapped out of his reverie and gave Relena an embarrassed smile, "Sorry.  Here Heero, let me help you with that."  Taking his packages from the grateful Heero, he smiled weakly, as Relena continued their 'sightseeing' but his thoughts were centred around a certain blond with icy blue-grey eyes.

         ************

"Dorothy, that was quite rude.  I was just having a nice conversation with your friends."  Bethany ran a hand through her hair, as the wind whipped it behind her as Dorothy zigzagged around Paris traffic in her golden Porsche convertible towards her villa on the outskirts of the city.  

They stopped at a stoplight.  "Why did you introduce me to, Mr Winner?  You already knew, we would know each other."  Dorothy asked her eyes on the road.

Bethany laughed.  "Oh, come on, Dorothy.  I know you have a 'thing' for 'Mr Winner'.  It seems he also has a 'thing' for you, Dory!"  Bethany laughed again, nearly receiving whiplash as Dorothy gunned the engine and began speeding through traffic.  "Sheesh, Dorothy slow down!"

Dorothy gripped the steering wheel tighter, her hands nearly devoid of blood from her grip.  'Calm, Dorothy, calm.' She repeated over in her head.  "Thing?  Dear cousin, I don't have any type of feeling towards Mr Winner but cordial friendliness.  He is more likely to receive my contempt then affection."  The roads were clearing now as they were nearing her Villa.

Bethany gave Dorothy an impish smile, her eyes twinkling with mirth.  "Sure, Dorothy, sure."

The car pulled next to tall iron-wrought gates.  Dorothy pushed in the security code a little harder than needed and the gates opened slowly.  She drove the car slowly up the driveway, coming to a complete stop in front of two marble pillars leading to the front door.

"Bethany, keep your assumptions to yourself.  Your Grandparents told me to keep you out of trouble and I intend to keep you well away from trouble.  Don't even think of doing anything stupid."  Dorothy gave her cousin a withering look.  Her threat of punishment in her eyes, not being said.

Bethany just grinned even wider, "Of course, Dorothy.  I wouldn't think of it.  You go have fun at those political mud fights.  I'm just going to shop.  That's all.  Ok, mother?"  She teased, her eyes laughing.

Dorothy growled. "I'm serious, Bethany."

Bethany nodded her head.  "So am I."  She smiled innocently.  "I feel a bit jet-lagged.  I'm going to go take a nap.  Is that safe with you Dory?"

Dorothy nodded her head.  "I'll get the butler to bring up your bags."

With that Bethany got out of the car and sauntered into the villa.  Dorothy stared after the figure until she had disappeared from view.  She sighed.  'When did I ever agree to baby-sit my nineteen year old cousin?'  She shook her head and slammed the door shut.  Damn her, for being right.  Damn him for making it so obvious! Making her way into her villa she didn't notice the eyes, hidden in the trees surrounding the villa, watching her.

         **************

"Whoa!  This place is so beautiful."  Catherine smelled in the air of Paris, stretching out her arms to feel the spring sun on her limbs.  The circus was doing a special show for a Children's Benefit being held in Paris.  She knew some of Trowa's friends were going to be here for the Summit Talks.  Quatre Winner had already contacted them and he had invited her and Trowa to have dinner tonight with him and the Vice Foreign Minister.  Catherine wanted to get to know these people better, since they were her brother's friends and they seemed like a nice bunch of people.

"Hey Cathie!  The manager wants to see us now."  Trowa walked up to his sister wearing part of his clown suit.

"Ok.  Just enjoying the sun, Trowa."  She smiled up at her brother who remained stoic but his eyes sparkled with happiness.  When Cathie was happy, he was happy.

Catherine clasped her hand with Trowa's, giving him a smile before handing to the manager's trailer.

*************

"Hilde…Please can we stop now!" an exhausted Duo Maxwell exclaimed under a mountain of shopping bags.

"Duo, we've only been to 36 boutiques! Not even half of them!"  Hilde Maxwell patiently explained as she happily skipped down the rows of shops.

"You never buy from these shops anyway!  You've bought all this junk from the markets!"  Duo ignored the glare Hilde gave him when he said 'junk'.

"So?  It's the principle of the thing.  You have to go to the boutiques, that's the whole point of Paris!"  Hilde tried not to notice Duo's puppy dog expression.  It didn't work.  "Oh, Duo!  Fine one more shop than we'll go back to the hotel and try on those…trinkets we bought from that vendor."  Winking seductively at her hapless husband, she skipped into another boutique.

         ************

Relena tried on a pair of designer sandals.  They matched her cream-coloured summer dress.  She walked a few stops towards the door then did an about turn only to stumble slightly on the heel and flail backwards.

Heero forgetting that some of the packages he was carrying were breakable, dropped them as lunged to save Relena from landing on her backside.  Instead a person who had just entered the shop had other ideas.

"Hey Relena! Watcha doin here?" asked Duo who looked like a walking shopping bag.

Relena turned to see who had caught her.  Her eyes brightening and she cracked a smile. "Hilde!"

"Relena!"  The two stood by the entrance hugging and chattering on about some sort of shop or other.

Duo slowly edged away from the shopaholics and grinned at Heero and Quatre.  "Small world, eh guys?  How the hell did we end up in this situation?"  He shook his head smiling.  Heero gave no reply but his features had relaxed into a small smile.  Quatre smiled back, shaking his head as if to say 'I have no idea.'

Duo was about to start yammering away when Hilde grabbed his arm.  "Duo, Relena says there's these really great clothing shops further down.  Come on lets all go together!"  Hilde exclaimed following Relena – who had taken off those unstable sandals and had her more comfortable tennis shoes on.  

The three men al gazed at the two figures before collectively shuddering.  The day just got a whole lot longer.

         *************

- _Joir – Unknown Time –_

_"__Ensem ka il pae LIFE.__"_

_"Together there will be LIFE.'  The ancients were rather blunt weren't they sis?"  Keioa looked at Lavirea as they gathered their energy and transferred it to the key._

_"No point in trumping up a fact."  Stated Lavirea as she felt a drop of sweat roll down the side of her face.  She frowned as she channelled more energy into the key._

_"I guess."  Keioa couldn't stand it any longer.  They had been channelling energy for what seemed like days but the key didn't become Red.  It was supposed to become Red.  "I can't keep this up much longer, Lav…" Her voice came out labored._

_"You will.  Just a few more - " Lavirea stopped as each of the symbols on the key began to turn Red.  Dropping her connection; Keioa doing the same.  The key began to float, emitting a pulsing red glow._

_Sister looked at sister.  "It's time."_

_         *************_

Person who wrote above stuff:

         Ok, there might be people (ok probably one) who are wondering where the HELL am I going with this fic!?!?  I do have an ending!!  I have a SEQUEL!!  BUT I don't have…a middle…ehehehehe…  Well a kinda do but its REALLY really umm..transparent?  SO please R&R and C&C and flame me at setm_29@hotmail.com better yet just Submit a review and help me with the middle! PLEASE!!


	4. Chapter 3: A Charity Ball, a Circus and ...

Disclaimer: I figure they're in their twenties.  Oh! And I don't own any of them.  (Except Bethany, Keioa, Lavirea, Beijn, Masem, and so forth and so forth – basically all the names that AREN'T in Gundam Wing, I made up).  I really hope the next few chapters will begin to explain why I called this fic the Colours of Life!  (I hope)…

**THIS IS THE REVISED VERSION!**

The Colours of Life

Chapter 3: A Charity Ball, a Circus and a Purple Dinosaur.

By: J.B. Santiago

- Paris, Earth – Real Time –

The ballroom was decorated a la Versailles Palace; a gigantic one tonne chandelier in the middle of the room had 400 small diamond studs on each crystal, making it sparkle even more as the lights reflected back and forth from each other making the room shine brightly.  The ball was a black tie event and everyone wore rather demure colours.  Except a certain young blond with sparkling jade coloured eyes.  Bethany Montague surveyed the scene, hiding her bored expression behind her wine glass. 'I don't know how Dorothy does it.  This is so DULL!' It felt like watching fish in a fish bowl.  She knew all these people mingling about were like sharks – they were politicians after all – but since she wasn't a political figure, they didn't want her blood, figuratively speaking, of course.  She smirked to herself, however by some of the looks she had been receiving from some young hot shots, maybe they did want her.  A low cut, high slit red dress can do that.  Bethany downed her champagne and was about to get another when a small commotion was heard near the entrance.  She turned to look, smiling when she saw whom it was.  The Vice Foreign Minister and her fiancé had arrived along with Mr Winner, president of one of the richest companies in the universe and they had brought friends.  Bethany eyed the couple, the man had long luxurious brown hair, tied in a braid similar to the one she had been wearing when she had first bumped into Mr Winner.  The woman next to him had short black/blue hair, wearing a dark blue dress that showed off her features without being too showy.  'Hmmm…Too bad he looks taken.  But then again there's always Mr Winner.'  Bethany smirked grabbed two wine glasses from a passing waiter, glanced around for her cousin, who was surrounded by sharks – politicians – and made her way to Mr Winner, willing him to look at her with her eyes.

         ******************

Quatre glanced around hoping to catch a glimpse of a certain blond, lavender-grey eyed person who he couldn't stop thinking about.  He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and he spun around expecting to meet those eyes.  He stared at light jade coloured eyes that seemed to have a secret he didn't know about. 

"Not the person you were expecting, Mr Winner?"  She handed him a wine glass before sipping tentatively at her own, hiding a smirk.

"Uh…Hello Miss Bethany.  Thank you for the drink.  How are you finding the ball?"  Quatre blushed lightly as he also sipped the champagne, the taste doing nothing for his suddenly dry throat.

"Please, Mr Winner, just call me Bethany.  I find these type of events a bore." She watched as he diverted his eyes, scanning the room.

"Please call me Quatre, Bethany."  He smiled politely at her, trying not to seem like he wanted to get out of this conversation.

Bethany laughed.  "Oh Quatre."  She giggled again, as Quatre's attention turned fully back to her.  "She's over by the painting of Rembrandt, surrounded by delegates."

Quatre blushed a deep red, laughing weakly.  "Hn…Am I that obvious?"  He finished his drink motioning a waiter for another.

"I can help you, if you want."  Bethany said with all seriousness.  Quatre stared at her, silently willing her to continue.  She smirked, the seriousness gone, her eyes sparkling with mirth.  "Cousin dear likes to play hard to get.  Therefore so shall you."  She bubbled with laughter as she grabbed Quatre's hand and dragged him outside where he had just been minutes before.

"Uh…Bethany, I can't leave, I just got here!"

Bethany stopped pulling his arm and stared into his aquamarine eyes.  "Do you want to know if she likes you or not?"

"Yes, but - "

"Good.  Now just follow me!"  Bethany laughed again as she got Quatre's valet ticket and gave it to the valet.  "You are bait, Quatre and we need to see if cousin dear, will be like a fish and bite."  She smiled wildly.  Quatre looked at the girl who had an iron grip on his hand.  'What am I getting myself into?' He thought as Bethany got into the drivers seat, motioning him to sit in the passengers seat.

"If someone who looks like me, asks where I went, tell her I've gone to the circus!"  She handed the valet a wad of bills before flooring the gas pedal and Quatre gripped onto his seat, in fear for his life.

         *****************

         Earlier on, in the same building…

Wufei cursed under his breath.  This damn suit.  It was customised to fit him; it was bullet proof and had a built-in surveillance camera on one of the dinosaur's eyes.  He had spent nearly a whole day in this suit, and he would have to be in this suit for another six hours or so.  'Stupid Children's Charity.'  The Charity's mascot was of course a purple dinosaur.  Wufei felt like he had lost ten kilos of water while in this costume.  He had already, several times nearly strangled one of these annoying bakas.  He counted the minutes before he was out of this costume.  Too long.  He could not believe he had to baby-sit these terrors.  'Maxwell would have been perfect for this job but he had to go and take leave!' Wufei focused all of his anger on the braided baka.  

'Kisama!'  He winced as another brat - er - child stomped on his foot.  He couldn't believe he was wearing a purple dinosaur costume.  He was a goddamn Gundam Pilot, for heaven's sake!  He didn't deserve being thrust into a suit to look after a bunch of delegates annoying, whinging, horrible kids!  

"Shh Wufei, one of the kids might here you."  A tiny voice said in his ear.

Sally.  His partner.  Damn her!  This was all that onna's fault!  While he had to suffer in these conditions, she was in a nice, air-conditioned van, probably eating donuts and having a cappuccino.  All the footage from the camera on the suit was being relayed to her in her comfy little van.  

"Mr P.D.?  Mr P.D., I need to go to the bathroom."  A small cherubic child said, tugging on the purple dinosaur's 'hand'.

Wufei bit down a scream, before counting to ten in Chinese, very slowly.  Letting out a small breath, he spoke into the mic that made his voice sound deeper and more 'dinosaur' like.  "Sure little girl.  Let me get one of the female attendants - " He was stopped as the little girl pulled on his hand again.

"No, no!  I want you to take me!" She gave an angelic smile.

Wufei resisted the urge to kick something.  He hated everyone.  EVERYONE.

         *****************

         Back at the Charity Ball…

Dorothy's eyes narrowed as she saw her cousin talk to Quatre.  It irked her, when Bethany laughed and Quatre had laughed as well.  'It's a free country, Dorothy they can laugh if they want to.  It's not like you care.'  Dorothy turned her attention back to the delegate who was discussing the trade tariffs between Earth and the Colonies, but she couldn't stop glancing back at Quatre.  The way the room was lit, it made his hair and face glow.  He looked so angelic.  Dorothy blinked three times, trying to stop staring and pay attention to the delegate instead.  All her resolve flew out the window when she saw Bethany take Quatre's hand and head for the exit.  Not even bothering to excuse herself from the conversation, she started towards the exit as well, leaving the delegate in mid-sentence.  She weaved her through the throng of people, not even acknowledging the greetings she was getting.  She had almost made it to the door when a certain braided ex-pilot bumped into her.

"Hey blondie!  Hows it goin?" Duo had been doing his version of the tango with Hilde and hadn't been watching where he was going.

Hilde whapped him lightly on the head.  "Hi, Dorothy.  You ok?  You look like you lost something."

Dorothy realising how predatory she must have looked stalking to the door like that, schooled her features into elegant calm again.  "Hello, Mr and Mrs Maxwell.  It's good to see you again.  I do hope to see more of you but I do fear that I have lost something and must go and retrieve it right now.  Good evening."   With a light bow she exited to the foyer.

Duo and Hilde watched her retreating form.  "Strange girl.  Anyway - " Duo held Hilde's hand in a tango position and began dancing again.

Dorothy searched around the foyer to see if Bethany or Quatre were there.  Finding neither she headed outside to the valet.

"Excuse me, did you see a girl that had similar features as me, leave?"  Dorothy asked in fluent French.

The valet just stared at her.  Dorothy gave a small glare before taking out a wad of bills and slammed them into his hand.

"Madame, she said she was going to the circus."  The valet pocketed the money before asking, "Would Madame, like her car?"

Dorothy nodded giving him the valet ticket.  She stood impatiently on the steps, resisting the urge to tap her foot and put her hands on her hips.  'I can't believe that girl!  I tell her to stay out of trouble and what does she do? …Not like Quatre would do anything remotely resembling anything like trouble.  Damn it, Bethany!  What are you trying to prove?'  She saw the valet return with her golden Porsche.  Slamming the door and flooring the gas pedal she headed for the circus.  It was near the ball as both were for the Children's Benefit. 'What are you going to do, Dorothy?  Haul Bethany from the circus because she's gone to see a show with angel boy?  Stop kidding yourself.'  Dorothy shook her head. 'I'm doing this for Bethany's sake.'  While another part of her mind replied, strangely with the same voice as Bethany's, 'Sure, Dorothy, sure.'

         *****************

" - Rude!  Can you believe she just walked off while I was talking to her?!"  Relena heard the last part of one of the delegate's angry tirades as she and Heero waltzed by.  'Hmm…wonder where Dorothy went?  She hadn't seen Quatre since they had arrived together.  She giggled as she thought of Dorothy and Quatre. 'I hope they're together.'  She saw Hilde and Duo at the Buffet Table, Duo had finally given up turning the Tango into a cross between a waltz, the chicken dance and the cha-cha and was now happily devouring the buffet table. 

"She leaned closer into Heero, whispering into his ear, "As much as I would love to dance with you all night; Hilde looks about ready to give Duo brain damage."  She smiled as Heero gazed into her eyes, stopped waltzing and offered his arm to Relena.  

"Milady, I would love to escort you to the buffet table."

Relena gave him a quick kiss on the cheek as they walked towards the Maxwells.

"Hi you guys!  Rel, help me!  I can't get him away from the buffet!"  Hilde said half-jokingly, as she whapped Duo's head again.

Relena chuckled while Heero gave no outwardly expression but his eyes did twinkle a little.  "Duo, if you get away from the buffet I'll give you all the popcorn, cotton candy and other assorted goodies you can eat."

Duo grinned at Relena. "Ojousan, you sure know a way into a man's heart.  This place is too stuffy, even the food's stiff.  So where's the really good stuff?"

"The circus, of course!"  Relena exclaimed.  

Heero stared at her. 'The circus?' he thought.

"Oh!  The one with Trowa and Catherine!  They're playing tonight only!  I can't believe I forgot.  It'll be good to see them again."  Hilde nodded she liked this idea.

"Relena, you can't leave now.  Besides the circus hasn't been properly checked out yet.  I won't have you placed in danger."  Heero said.

"Heero!  Will you stop worrying so much!  I'll be fine; you'll be there, so stop worrying!  It'll be good to see Trowa and Catherine again, wont it?"  Relena gave a smile that she knew Heero couldn't resist.

"Well…"

"Good!  Let's go! My treat!"  The four friends made their way outside.

         ****************

"Sir!  Everyone is in place.  We have located the 24th sacrifice."  The soldier saluted.

A non-descript man nodded.  "Await my orders.  We must move swiftly.  The diversions are in place?"

"Sir, yes Sir!  Everything is ready to go on your signal."  The soldier saluted again.

"Good."  He turned back to what he had been staring at before the soldier had interrupted him.  The huge lights, aimed upwards shone brightly, giving the place a Hollywood premiere look.  The place was jam packed with families and children's squeals were heard even with the night traffic.  The circus was teeming with life, what a perfect place for the start of the end of the world.

         ****************

Person who has just revised three chapters in a row:

Hopefully all the mistakes are getting fixed.  People who have read the not-revised-version, can you guys spot the difference? Hopefully you can! ^_^

Thanks for such KIND and REALLY-BOOST-UP-MY-LOW-SELF-ESTEEM reviews!!!  More thanks to Mama-sama who has been so kind as to review more than once! @--&--- Here have a rose! (I hope that's what it looks like…hehe)


	5. Chapter 4.1: The Circus Aftermath and a ...

Disclaimer:  I think my little AU is getting a tad bit violent…If I had a trillion dollars then maybe I'd own Gundam Wing.

Chapter four is broken up into two parts! (because I haven't written the other part)  I bet you didn't think I would get this out so early, but I was on a roll!!

**THIS IS THE REVISED VERSION!**

The Colours of Life

Chapter 4.1: The Circus Aftermath and a Letter Opener

By: J.B. Santiago

- The Circus, Paris – Earth – Real time –

Catherine put the finishing touches to her make-up as Trowa placed his half-mask on his face.  Their act was coming up soon and Catherine felt exhilarated.  The crowd tonight was the biggest one she had ever seen since she had joined this troupe.  'This is going to do wonders for the circus.' She thought as she watched the act that was before theirs.  The circus had been struggling lately but with the P.D. Children's Charity, they weren't going to be struggling for long.  She looked over at Trowa who was silently standing against the make up stand.  So far she had only seen Quatre but she was hoping to at least see Relena before they left to follow the next P.D. Children's Event.  Catherine studied Trowa's stance as they waited for the act to finish.  Smiling, she said, "Smile Trowa!"  Then they heard the ringmaster cue them in.  Trowa gave Catherine a smile, holding her hand as both of them stepped out of the curtain, into the excited crowd.

"What do you find so fascinating about my cousin, anyway?"  Bethany enquired.  She and Quatre had squeezed into a seat near the middle to top of the big tent.  They had been sitting there for the last twenty minutes and she had been firing questions at him non-stop.  She watched him carefully as he pondered the question.

Quatre stared thoughtfully at Bethany.  He had found out a bit about her from the trip over to the circus.  She was Dorothy's first cousin.  Their mothers had been sisters and like him and Dorothy her parents had died when she was young.  She had then been sent to live with her father's parents – pacifists, would you believe – in Hawaii of all places.  She had laughed when she said that when she had first arrived in Hawaii, she had felt like her grandparents and herself were the only Italians on the islands.  She had explained how her grandparents had adamantly kept her and her older brother away from the wars – they hadn't wanted to lose any more grandchildren.  Bethany's voice faltered when she explained how her oldest brother had died in the war, quickly changing the subject to Dorothy and how she had been led to believe that Dorothy had died through correspondence from Duke Dermail (her voice hardened and she had gripped the steering wheel tightly when she had said his name).  She had only found out Dorothy was alive when they bumped into each other at the cemetery, both placing flowers on Treize's grave.  When they had found a parking space and were on their way inside the circus, she told him that she was making up for the lost time she and Dorothy were robbed of in their childhoods.  Quatre could feel how earnest and innocent she was being.  She really wanted to help him.  

Quatre sighed, his eyes troubled. "What's fascinating about Dorothy?"  He sighed again.  "Everything."  A loud cheer rose from the crowd.  They both turned to see what act was about to start.  Quatre's eyes brightened as he saw who it was.  "That's Trowa and his sister Catherine.  Trowa's my closest friend.  You'd like Catherine; she's one of the nicest people I know.  All their acts are amazing."

Bethany nodded keeping her eyes on the two performers who had just stepped out.  Even from this distance she could tell this Trowa person was handsome. 'Damn it, Dorothy!  Why didn't you introduce to all your cute friends sooner?'  She looked at Catherine who held six sharp looking daggers by the tips.  Her eyes narrowed when she realized what she was.

'Where is she?  Argh, Bethany I swear, I'm locking you in your room for the remainder of this vacation.'  Dorothy tried to find her cousin in the throng of people.  She had unsuccessfully tried to move against the crowds and her designer gown had been rubbed against grubby hands, which did give her a chance to punch people but she couldn't find the guilty person. 

'I'm going to cut up all your credit cards as well, Bethany.' She thought as more vicious plans came to mind.  Dorothy finally sat down near the front of the ring, thoroughly annoyed and angry, never a good combination to be near when it's coming from Dorothy Catalonia.

She cursed under her breath and had given a death glare to a child who had unfortunately spilt their coke on her dress.  'I'm going to put purple dye in your shampoo, Bethany.'  The roar from the crowds almost deafened her.  She gave an angry glare at whoever was the next act.  Her face softened into a smirk. 'The clown and his sister.  My night gets better and better.' She thought sarcastically. Then she felt it.

Wufei swore on everything he believed in that he would never, ever have kids. EVER.  Standing in that stupid dinosaur costume (as it was impossible to sit down in it) while those idiotic children screamed, clapped and generally made a heap of noise in a jam packed circus tent was torture.  Beyond torture, beyond any of the pain he went through with the wars.  He had lost about ten kilos in this suit, his feet had been trampled to death, he had taken enough people to toilets to last him a lifetime.  'One more, 'P.D. can you please sing the P.D. song again' and he would pull out his gun and shoot himself in the head.  

"The shows pretty good, Wufei."  Sally said in his earpiece.  Or maybe he could just shoot her instead.  'Stupid onna!'

The crowd roared as another act came out.  'Finally!' Wufei thought as he saw Trowa and Catherine come out.  They were the second last act.  'One more act and I'm out of this costume forever.'  He ignored the whining kids and focused on one thought. 'It's almost over, it's almost over, it's almost over…'

Even with their formal attire, nobody really gave much heed to them.  Relena felt like a normal woman going out with her fiancé and a couple of friends to a circus.  She glanced at Duo who was covered in popcorn from the popcorn fight he, Hilde and Relena had engaged in.  Heero hadn't thrown any popcorn but had placed himself in front of Relena to protect her from the popcorn missiles.  So he was covered in popcorn while she was relatively clean.  She snuggled deeper into Heero's embrace, his arms tightening around her.  Duo burped loudly.  Hilde laughed as she burped as well.  Relena laughed. "No more sodas for you guys!  You two are - " She didn't get to finish a roar erupted from the crowd.  The four of them looked down from their middle row seats.  "It's Trowa and Catherine! Woohoo!"  Relena gave a very uncharacteristic yell of support.

"She gets that from me!  Woohoo!"  Duo yelled as well.  "Go Tro-man!  Go Cathie-babe!"

The four watched as Trowa flipped towards the spinning board where he was going to stand in while Catherine threw her daggers at him.

Trowa strapped himself to the board and began to rock side to side gaining momentum until he was fully spinning around in circles.  He could see Catherine carefully take aim, raising the dagger behind her ear ready to throw.  Catherine pulled her arm a little bit further then was about to release it when everything went dark.  The crowd had stopped its anticipated humming noise. 

"What?  Trowa? What's going - " Catherine didn't finish as a hand covered her mouth and she slumped over, her daggers landing with dull thunks.

"Cathie? Cathie?"  Trowa stopped the spinning board and deftly unstrapped himself from it.  "Cathie?" His voice louder now.  Then the lights turned back on.  A confused murmur ran through the crowd as they saw that the knife thrower had disappeared, and the clown was standing there, calling out someone's name…then the gunshots were heard.

Utter pandemonium broke out as people surged forward and towards the exits.  Replacing the sounds of happy cheering were terrified screams as people were trampled on, children became lost as people created a gulf between their parents' safe hands.  The tents structure creaked.  Then pieces from above began to fall…

         ******************

He watched as people rushed out of the collapsing tent.  'Pitiful.  Pathetic humans.'  He turned towards an attending soldier.  "Do you have it?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Good.  Get everyone out of the area and return to base."

The soldier saluted before running to give the signal to evacuate the area.  He gave the horrible scene one more look before smiling.  He could feel it.  The end was near.

         *******************

"Trowa, we'll find her.  The Preventers and the French Police are all looking.  We're looking.  We'll find her Trowa."  Quatre tried to console his best friend.  Trowa's face had remained stoic but if anyone saw his eyes, they would turn away from the emotions that raged in those emerald orbs.  It had been four hours and everything had finally calmed down enough for them to start searching through the remains of the collapsed tent.  When the gunshots had been heard, Quatre had immediately grabbed Bethany and had run her to safety.  He had tried to run back to save more people but it had been futile and he just tried to help people who had fallen from running instead.  He had seen Wufei wearing a purple dinosaur suit without the head, with a bunch of children huddled close to him.  Heero had swiftly carried Relena from the circus and had made her promise that she would stay in their hotel room with Hilde who had been saved from falling debris by Duo.  Duo seemed overly jittery and had kept calling Hilde, just in case - he kept telling everyone but anyone could see that having his wife have a near-death experience had shaken him to the core.  Heero had gone into full perfect soldier mode – no one tried to hurt his Relena without getting his full wrath.  The place was teeming with Preventers while the French police barricaded the area from the media and such.

"You guys!  I found something."  Duo shouted gesturing for the others to come and have a look.  "I found where they must have taken her.  Her daggers are dropped here."  Pointing to the daggers on the floor, he continued, "But look at this."  The four other ex-Gundam pilots pointed to a dark mark on the floor.  It looked like it had been scorched into the ground with a branding iron.  It was circular in appearance, having a diameter similar to a tennis ball.  Inside the circle was a weird looking picture of what looked like a twisted tree crossed with Japanese kanji.  "What the hell is that, you guys?"

They were all crouched down around this emblem trying to decipher meaning from it when a voice across from them spoke up. "It's an ancient symbol meaning 'Darkness'."

Trowa was the first to get up.  He walked up to the person, and shook their shoulders.  "How do you know that?"  He spoke in a low threatening voice.

"Trowa!  Stop that!  This is Dorothy's cousin, Bethany Montague."  Quatre gently but firmly removed Trowa's hands from Bethany.  

The others gathered around Bethany, Trowa and Wufei giving her a suspicious look, while Duo looked at her confused and Heero just gave her his usual glare.  "How did you get in here, Bethany?"  Quatre asked.

"It's not that hard to pretend to be a Preventer.  Besides I hid in the car, which was inside the barricades."

Trowa glared at her.  "How did you know what that emblem said?"

"I think it would be better if I explained this somewhere safer."  She didn't like the way Trowa was looking at her like that.  His eyes were an explosion of emotions.

"No.  Tell us what you know now." Trowa said in that voice again.

"I think she's right, Trowa.  This place isn't secure.  Let's go discuss what she knows somewhere safer.  I want to find Cathie as bad as you do but we need to do that with a clear mind, right Trowa?" Quatre said soothingly.

Trowa nodded curtly. "Fine."

Bethany nodded in agreement. "I know a safe place." Looking over at Heero and Duo she said, "I don't think you should leave Relena and her friend alone.  The days are going to get worse."

Duo's eyes widened and he quickly dialled up Hilde, while Heero started walking towards his car.

"We'll follow you to the hotel, pick them up then we'll head to this 'safe' place."  Trowa said as he walked back to where the emblem was, motioning to a Preventer to draw it.

         ***************

Two cars pulled into the driveway of a villa on the outskirts of Paris, in the early hours of the morning.  Nine people quietly got out, and followed a blond woman, with jade coloured eyes to a pair of huge wooden doors.  Placing her hand on a fingerprint scan, the door's security locks unlocking as her fingerprints matched the criteria.

She headed towards the sounds of a TV.  The group of people looked around their surroundings as they followed the blond.  The villa was a traditional French villa with high arches and the place was lit up with tiny candles that flickered, making shadows appear to be moving people as they jumped from arch to arch, corner to corner.  The group entered the study, a spacious room with a tall bookshelf on one side, a lounge chair opposite it and two leather armchairs around that.  A dark mahogany desk table sat opposite the two large French windows.  A TV on the opposite wall from the bookshelf was turned on, showing the news on the tragic circus incident.  The figure sitting in one of the armchairs noticed the intruders at the same time they noticed the figure.

"Bethany!  There you are!  Miss Relena? …Hello everyone."  Dorothy looked surprised to see them all in her study at three o'clock in the morning.

Bethany was about to reply, when Trowa cut in, "Where's my sister, Dorothy."  He glared at Dorothy who had quickly schooled her features into calm again.  

"What makes you think I know?"  She said in a sweet, sardonic voice.

Before he could reply, Bethany cleared her throat.  "Look.  Before you guys go bite each others heads off, please let me explain."  She ushered Sally, Relena and Hilde towards the lounge chair while the guys milled around near them.  Dorothy sat back down on the armchair, beginning to tap her long manicured fingernails on the armrest.  Bethany walked to the TV and switched it off.  The room was bathed in the light from the moonlight that came through the French windows.  She walked to the desk table and turned on the study light.  The light gave an eerie orange glow.

Trowa took out the picture of the emblem the Preventer had drawn on.  "How did you know what this was?"

If anyone had been watching her and not Bethany, they would have seen Dorothy miss a beat in her rhythmic tapping of her fingernails on the armrest.  As it was, no one noticed.

Bethany gave a slight smile. 'I've been waiting forever to do this.' She thought.  She leaned onto the desk, her hands behind her, searching, searching…ah, found it.  Grabbing onto the handle, she said with a smile, "I will tell you when my cousin - " She had walked up to Dorothy with her hands behind her back, " - stops that incessant tapping!"  She yelled out the last word before plunging a letter opener into Dorothy's hand.

         ***************

Person writing this, instead of studying for Politics exam:

I definitely need to start studying; it's on Thursday!!  Therefore I will have part two of chapter four out much later in the week, sorry to anyone reading, who might want to know what is going on! Please don't be angry!

Please R&R and C&C and flames, lots of flames!!!! (please) 

         **THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS AND CRITICISMS SO FAR!!!**


	6. Chapter 4.2: A Letter Opener and a Can o...

Disclaimer: I've decided this is also OOC.  Don't own that show, (you know which one).  I'm giving a rose **@--&----** to all my lovely reviewees! Thanks again!

**THIS IS THE REVISED VERSION!**

The Colours of Life

Chapter 4.2: A Letter Opener and a Can of Worms

By: J.B. Santiago

Quatre's eyes widened as Bethany stabbed Dorothy's hand. "No!"  He was up on his feet and tackling Bethany who had wrenched out the letter opener from Dorothy's hand and had looked like she was about to stab her again.  He heard several clicks around the room as the other pilots all trained their guns on Bethany.  Quatre grabbed onto the letter opener, as Bethany raised her arms in surrender.  She gave everyone an impish grin.  "Dorothy are you ok?"  Quatre knelt besides Dorothy, who was gripping her right hand, which was steadily gushing out blood, soaking the tips of her white sleeves.  

Ignoring him and the concerned sounds from others in the room, Dorothy stood up and glared at her cousin. "Vacca!" Bethany grin just got bigger. 

"Will someone explain what the hell is going on?!?!  Why'd she just stab blondie here, for?  What does this have to do with that bloody emblem!"  Duo had had it up to here with this craziness; his gun still trained at Bethany's head.

Dorothy gazed around the room.  She avoided looking at Quatre, who was still in a kneeling position by the armchair.  "Everything, Mr Maxwell."  She held up her bloody hand. "This has everything to do with it."  Duo was about to answer back when a slight glow coming from Dorothy's hand stopped him short.  Her hand began to pulse a red light, enveloping her entire hand, then it stopped and everyone in the room blinked as an afterimage of red light blinded their eyes.  Quatre stood up slowly, inches away from Dorothy.  He reached out and touched the hand Bethany had stabbed.  There was no blood.  No scar.  Just a perfectly manicured hand.  Dorothy snatched her hand away from him.  Quatre tried to make eye contact with her but she diverted her eyes. "How…?"

Bethany looked at all the astonished faces. She smirked before speaking, "I figured, you wouldn't have believed me if I just told you, so I thought a demonstration first would be more helpful."  She folded her arms across her chest.  "I think it would better if you all took a seat."  She raised an eyebrow as the other pilots save Quatre, didn't sit and put their guns down. "Ok, then.  If you want it that way."  Shrugging casually she walked back to the table and sat on it.  She gave a cold stare to Dorothy. "That - " indicating her hand, "-was for throwing me out of the balcony at my sorority party."

Dorothy returned the glare, before sitting back down on the armchair. "I was saving you from making a complete fool of yourself."

"Saving me?! I broke THREE ribs!  Do you have any idea how painful it is to HEAL broken bones!" Bethany pushed herself off the table and had placed her hands on her hips, in a classic temper tantrum pose.

"I wasn't the one who drank three bottles of vodka mixed with whiskey!" Dorothy had also stood up, giving her cousin a glare that could freeze hell.

Before they could start an all out bitch fight, Relena yelled, "ENOUGH!" Both blonds stared at the normally placid Vice Foreign Minister incredulously.  "PLEASE, one of you, any one, just tell us what is GOING ON!  Heero, Duo, everyone please put down your weapons."

Everyone complied with Relena, as it would have been really foolish not to at this point.  "Bethany, Dorothy, please tell us what is going on."

The two looked at each other, before Dorothy nodded slightly and Bethany gave a small smile. "Ok, Miss Relena.  It's like this.  What you just saw Dorothy do was heal.  You see, a very, very, VERY long time ago, there were these people that had, for better lack of a word, magical powers.  These people were categorized by their 'magical' abilities.  People who could move mountains, for example were Green.  People who could cause tidal waves, were Blue.  People who could make light even in the darkest cave, were Gold.  People who could block out the sun, albeit only for a little while, were Black.  And people who could heal – who could take away death, were Red."  Bethany looked at the faces around her.  They believed her.  She continued, "Anyway, these people had a longer lifespan than humans and had began to use humans as pawns – playthings – to be used and discarded whenever they felt like it.  Before long they had degenerated into depravity.  They were so sure of themselves, so uncaring but not all of them were like this.  Some were smart enough to realise they had to stop this vicious cycle before they destroyed the world."  Bethany paused, about to start again when Dorothy continued for her.

"So they fought.  A war so disastrous that it nearly wiped out their kind and most of the human population as well.  It was a war no one could win.  They saw what they had done to Earth and resolved never to let anything like that happen again.  They created another world, one that was linked to Earth but a link that only went one way.  If Earth died so would this world they made but if this new world died Earth wouldn't be affected.  Therefore they went about restoring Earth, using their powers for the sake of others and not just for themselves."  Dorothy's face vague, as if she was remembering a distant memory.  

Bethany nodded her head. "They built a society in the new world.  Each magical power was given a Council.  Five in total.  The Red, the Blue, the Gold, the Green and the Black.  The five Councils, all together – made up the Greater Council, which was broken up into three parts, the Elders, the Inner Council and the Outer Council.  The Elders were senior representatives chosen by the whole Council.  The Inner Council consisted of the family that ruled a specific Colour.  The Outer Council was pretty much the people who weren't part of the ruling family or an Elder.  They would only interfere on Earth if a majority of the Greater Council agreed," She was interrupted by a click as a safety lock went back on.

"What does this have to do with my sister?" Trowa's eyes still scarily, emotional.

"I'm getting to that. Sheesh…Look, anyway, these people pretty much lived in peace for a really long time and they became complacent and when the Darkness hit them, it took them by surprise."  Bethany rushed out. "The Darkness is pretty much what it sounds like.  It devoured Earth in the form of plagues, wars, you name it; its whole purpose is to end.  End life, end the world; end anything and everything."

"But it didn't, because were still here, right?" Duo asked. 'This gets crazier by the minute,' he thought.

Dorothy nodded. "It didn't end everything because what was left of the Council defeated it with their 'power'.  They sealed it away using the five keys and codes that had been made to create the new world.  They - " She was interrupted by a loud explosion.

"What the - " Wufei didn't finish as gunfire broke out all over the house.  "Everyone DOWN!"

Heero shielded Relena with his body as he frantically looked around. 'Where were they shooting from?!'

"Merda!  Everyone follow me!"  Dorothy signalled as she began crawling towards the bookshelf.  Everyone obeyed as they barely avoided bullets whizzing past them.  Dorothy pushed a book and a panel opened, quickly punching in a code and placing her hand on the scanner the bookshelf opened a small square chute.  "Go!"

Heero pushed Relena in. While Hilde, Sally and Bethany followed. Duo went next while Trowa, Wufei and Heero went down as well.  Quatre yelled at Dorothy, "Hurry up and go!"

She shook her head as another bullet ricocheted off the bookshelf.  "No, go I need to do something."  

Quatre stared at her determined eyes and nodded. 'Come out alive.' He thought.

Dorothy watched as he disappeared down the chute.  Turning towards the panel, she punched in another code before sliding down the chute.  Soldiers ran in just as Dorothy slid down the chute.  Opening fire onto the closing chute they didn't notice the panel closing, its controls flashing a brilliant red.

*****************

"Sir, The code and key have escaped.  There were more people than ex - " the soldier didn't finish as the Villa behind him, exploded.

"Soldier, how many men were in that house?" Asked the non-descript man.

"Uhh…20 men sir!" The soldier had to tear himself away from the monstrous flames that seemed to touch the night sky.

"Get whoever is left out of here.  I want no traces of us."

"Yes sir!" The soldier hurried off to do his master's bidding.

The man stared at the flames.  They taunted him.  He smiled.  He would show them.  He would show them how powerful the Darkness really was.

****************

"Where are we?"  Hilde helped up Bethany, while the others picked themselves up from the stainless steel floor.  They looked at their surroundings.  It was an underground base surrounded by wall-to-wall computers; there were four mammoth screens on each wall, each showing a different thing.  One screen showed the Villa alight in a ball of flames. 

"Sheesh, Dorothy.  I hope you're insured." Murmured Bethany, shaking her head as the others gathered to watch the place they were just in burn.

"Where is she? Dorothy?! Dorothy!?"  Quatre looked around worriedly. "Where is she?"

Everyone looked at each other and back up at the screen.  Bethany ran up to the chute they had fallen from.  She stared up into it, willing Dorothy to come out.  And she did. Thump.  Dorothy fell awkwardly on Bethany, causing both of them to fall to the floor in a heap.

"Damn it Dorothy, when'd you get so heavy?" Bethany tried to get Dorothy off her but Dorothy didn't move.  "Dory, stop being - " She stopped when she felt it.  Sticky and wet she looked at her hand and her eyes widened in horror.  Blood. "Oh my God! Dorothy!"

The others ran to where the two lay.  Quatre seeing the blood on Bethany's hand, quickly but gently rolled Dorothy off Bethany.  Now everyone could see it.  A bullet wound was situated in Dorothy's right shoulder.  Quatre looked at the wound and then at her right hand then back at the wound. "Why isn't she healing?!" his voice frenetic. 

"She needs to be conscious to heal!  Oh crap, Dorothy!  Wake up!!"  Bethany placed her hand on the wound, hoping to stop the blood from flowing. Using her other hand she slapped Dorothy's face – hard. "Damn you, wake up!" She was about to slap her again when a voice stopped her.

"Stop that…" It hurt to talk, hell her whole body was screaming at her but Dorothy still opened her eyes.  "Help me up."  She commanded weakly.  Bethany complied as Dorothy began to glow that same pulsing red, only her shoulder was glowing.  "God, I hate getting shot." She muttered.  Her body had returned to its normal state of functioning.  'Blood stains are so hard to get out of white clothes, she thought darkly as she noted half her shirt was covered in blood.

"Are you ok, Dorothy?"  Relena looked at the blood before turning her concerned eyes to her.

"Yes, I'm fine Miss Relena."  She spread her arms wide, eagle style, "Welcome to my underground base."

         *****************

Catherine groaned as she tried to get up but found the slightest movement made her head spin and bile rose in her throat.  'Ok then, I'll just lay still.' She thought, as she pushed down the feeling of vomiting lunch.  The place she was in was completely dark but she could hear shuffling sounds.

"Don't try to move, ok? I'm going to give you something that will stop the headaches."  A figure knelt beside Catherine. "Open your mouth."

Catherine hesitated before doing what the voice said.  She felt a thick liquid fill her mouth, quickly swallowing the stuff so as not to choke. Catherine felt the liquid burn inside her mouth for an instant and then the dizziness began to subside at once. Catherine turned towards the person who had given her the liquid. "Thanks…Uhh…Where are we?" She knew someone was there but she still couldn't even see an outline.

"No idea." The figure placed a hand on Cathie's arm. "But I'll be able to tell you why you are in here a few moments."

Catherine's face scrunched up into a confused look, "What do yo - " Then the room lit up.  Catherine blinked a few times to get used to the sudden light.  It wasn't really that bright, it was a single light bulb in a huge room.  Catherine looked at her surroundings.  The room she was in consisted of four beds that were lined up against the wall, a toilet in the corner and a small table in the middle of the room.  She noticed that aside from herself and the person next to her, there were two more people in the room.  A man and a woman each were hugging themselves on different beds.  She turned to the person next to her.  She was on the short side, with shoulder length blond hair and in the dim light, Catherine couldn't tell what colour her eyes were.  The woman spoke, "They turn on the lights for an hour every four hours.  They'll be giving us food through that opening there." She pointed to a wall opposite the beds.

Catherine nodded numbly. "What did you mean, that you'd be able to tell me why I'm here in a few moments?"

"Look at your left palm.  That's why you're here." Replied the blond.

Catherine obeyed and her eyes widened as she saw what was on her palm.  A neat circular emblem had been branded into her palm.  However, it didn't hurt, she couldn't feel any pain.  Bringing her hand up to her face for closer examination, she could see a number. '24?' She thought.

"I'm 23.  Those two over there are 22 and 21.  There are others but they're in different rooms.  I don't know what it means but I doubt it's a good thing."  The woman gave Catherine a glass. "Here it has more of that stuff in it.  Drink all of it so the headaches wont come back."

Catherine nodded in thanks taking the glass and sipping a little of it. She shook a little. 'Crap. I've been kidnapped and branded.  Oh Trowa, where are you?  I hope you're ok.'

Catherine glanced up at the woman.  "Thank you.  My name is Catherine.  Please call me Cathie.  What's your name?" She smiled weakly.

The woman blinked back at her, as if she had expected Catherine to start hugging herself and rocking back and forth like the other two in the room. She nodded. "Your welcome. My name…I have no name.  But if you must call me something, call me Nanashi."

         *****************

"So you can heal bullet wounds as well?  What else can you do?"  Wufei stared at Dorothy, expectantly.

"Lets get out of the control room first, ok?  I wanna sit down, I feel a bit shaky." Replied Bethany.  Dorothy nodded at her.  She walked to a panel, typed in something and a door opened.  Everyone walked out of the control room and into a long hallway. "We can talk in the kitchen area."  Duo brightened at that. 'All this hocus pocus, getting shot thing, has me starved.'  He held Hilde's hand tightly as the group made their way to the kitchen area.  

Once everyone was comfortable (or semblance of comfortable) Bethany started telling them the story again. "When the Council locked away the Darkness, their powers were greatly diminished. So weakened were their powers that they were really like humans with certain extraordinary talents.  They integrated with the human population and that's where we come in." Bethany gestured to Dorothy. "We are direct descendents of the Red Council.  Our blood has the ability to heal wounds.  Cuts, bruises, gun wounds, you name it we can heal from it.  BUT as the powers were greatly weakened from the Darkness, we can only heal when we're conscious, so if we get shot in the head or heart, we'll die instantly like you guys, but anywhere else we can heal."

"You can't heal when you're unconscious?"

Bethany shook her head. "Nope."

"That's how you knew that emblem said Darkness.  It still doesn't explain why they took my sister."  Trowa couldn't take much more of this sitting around.  He had to find his sister.

"Mr Barton, they took your sister because she is a sacrifice.  That's the term the Darkness has for them.  We refer to them as 'Gate keepers'.  Inside each 'gatekeeper's' soul is an energy that if released will open the portal to the Darkness."  Dorothy said in a clipped tone. "They need 24 'gatekeepers' to open the portal.  Your sister was the 24th gatekeeper. For every generation 24 gatekeepers are born but you can't use one generation and another generation's gatekeepers to open the portal.  They must come from the same generation.  Your sister was unlucky."  

Trowa bristled at the use of past tense, when Dorothy was talking about Cathie.  "How much time left before they try to kill her?"

"She is the 24th. She will be the last one to die.  They kill four at a time.  Each group of four are killed on one day, every six hours." Bethany whispered, her eyes fixed on the kitchen table.

"So I have five days to find her?"  Trowa nodded, before heading towards the door.  "Tell me how to get out of here."

"No, wait, Mr Barton!  You can't possibly defeat an army of Darkness soldiers.  This can't be defeated in a mobile suit.  To fight the Darkness you need the Council." Pleaded Bethany to the retreating form of Trowa.

Trowa turned around his eyes a hard green. "The Council?  Right now that's you and her." He pointed to Bethany and Dorothy.

Dorothy shook her head. "Don't be stupid, Mr Barton.  Do you think the Council would just whither and die?  The Greater Council is the Romefeller Foundation.  More precisely five families from the Foundation are the Council."

She tapped opened a com-link on the wall.  A screen opened up.  She opened transmission, and four squares appeared on the screen.  Each square showed a person's head.

"We've heard the news, Miss Dorothy.  They have taken the Blue key and have taken the code as well.  The Blue Council has been effectively crippled."  One of the people on the screen said.

Bethany cringed, "I'm so sorry to hear of your loss, William."  She gave a sympathetic look to the blond man who had just spoken.

The other two on screen murmured their sympathies while the other began to rage. "See!  The Blue Council, already gone!  How are we to stop the Darkness, if we are one key down, already?!" 

Dorothy replied coldly to the man who had spoken, "Mr Luciano, having a fit won't serve us any good either.  They may have one key, but we have the other four.  We have six days before the portal is fully open and stable.  We must assemble the keys and the codes and defeat the Darkness on it's own turf.  Quite simple, really." She smirked at Mr Luciano.

"Simple?! You are - " He didn't finish as another person cut in.

"It may not be simple but that is what we must do.  Miss Dorothy, the key and code of the Green Council is in Florence.  I trust your judgement."  With that the elderly woman speaking for the Green Council logged off.

"I agree with the Green Council.  I will send my key and code to Florence.  The Gold Council's fate rests with the Red Council.  May God have mercy on our souls."  The man for Gold Council logged off as well.

"Well Mr Luciano?  The Council majority has spoken." Dorothy's gaze never wavering from the screen.

Mr Luciano tried to stare her down but was unsuccessful.  "Vacca!  I will send my key and code to Florence."  With a disgusted look he logged off.

The room was eerily quiet as everyone contemplated just what the hell they had gotten themselves into.  Duo looked around the room.  Heero was hugging Relena tightly; Quatre sat at the end of the table, staring at Dorothy who was still staring at the now closed screen.  Bethany seemed to be very interested in the texture of the table, while Wufei kept stealing glances at Sally and Trowa was still standing by the door.  Duo looked down at the figure he was holding strongly. 'This was supposed to be the best anniversary gift.  Damn this stupid Darkness!'  He slammed his fist on the table, causing everyone to jump. "Well, what are you all waiting for?  Lets go kick some Darkness butt!"

         ******************

Person who is amazed she could revise so quickly:

I think this Chapter is growing on me.  This was the chapter I hated! But with a few tweaks here and there, I think it sounds kinda ok!

PLEASE R&R and C&C and now I'm really expecting FLAMES!!! **Hello Anne, my all together best helpful beta reader!** Thanks again to all who have reviewed especially mama-sama and Ayanami-chan!


	7. Chapter 5: Codes and Keys, anyone?

Disclaimer: I still own three goldfish and not Gundam Wing.

Thanks to Jaid Skywalker for the rose!  And to all that have reviewed, you are TOO kind!!!! Thanks again!! AND **Thanks to my beta-reader, Anne!!! **

**THIS IS THE REVISED VERSION!**

OH! And before I forget – this _italics _ indicates a flashback just in case you guys get confused. ^_^

The Colours of Life

Chapter 5: Codes and Keys, anyone?

By: J.B. Santiago

- Paris, Earth – Real Time –

"Go with them."  Relena looked at her husband-to-be.  The words were forced and her throat dry but her eyes still had a determined gleam to them.

Heero just stared into her aquamarine eyes, his dark Prussian blue ones telling Relena everything he wanted to say but couldn't voice.  They continued their staring contest until the phone rang, breaking Relena's concentration as she glanced at the phone.  "It's them."

She turned back to Heero's waiting stare.  "They need you more than I do."

Heero finally moved, shaking his head, though he couldn't say the word 'no'.

Relena let out an exasperated sigh.  "Damn it, Heero!  Do you think I want you to go?  I want you to stay with me.  I want you with me forever…" She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to cry.  Relena silently cursed the single tear that slid down her cheek.  'Stuff it!'

Relena hugged him tightly, sobbing into his shirt as his arms enveloped around her.  He began to rock her gently edging towards the bed and the phone, snaking out a hand to unplug the incessant ringing.  Heero gently lifted her tear stained face, wiping away a runaway tear.  He hated to make her cry.  He had promised himself that Relena would never cry sad tears again.  Especially over him.  _'Did you know she cries for you every night before she sleeps?'_ Heero blinked as the unwanted memory popped up in his head.  Dorothy had said that to him.  She had said it so casually, like she was asking Heero for the time.  He shook his head a little, staring back into those aquamarine eyes he loved so much.  'Why does she tell me to go, then asks me to stay…?'

"Relena…"

Relena saw the uncertainty in Heero's eyes.  He was so much stronger than she was.  He would be useful.  She would not.  'The Darkness doesn't negotiate.' She thought bitterly.  At times like these she wanted to take part in the physical battle, not be in the stands watching.  She wanted to save Catherine; she wanted to be there for Dorothy; she wanted to near Heero.  'Stop being so selfish, Relena!  You'll only be in the way.'  She blinked away the treacherous tears.  "Heero, please, go save the world.  I love you, please do this for me."  Her eyes pleading with him.  She felt anything she would say would come out wrong.

Heero pulled her closer to him.  He wanted to smell her honey coloured hair.  He wanted to feel all the indentations of her body.  Every curve and dip.  He wanted – no he couldn't – wouldn't – live without her.  "Why…Why do you want me to go?" He whispered in her ear.

Relena shivered involuntarily, no matter how many times he did that, she would always react to it  like it was happening for the first time.  "Because…Because I can't help but you can…Please, please Heero.  It's a selfish reason – I just don't want to feel so helpless."

Heero nodded.  His Relena would never be helpless.  He would go save Catherine; destroy this new threat.  For Relena. 

**************

- Florence, Earth – Real Time – 

Dorothy stood near a gelati shop situated on the corner of the Piazza della Signoria.  Small groups of people, walked by, either going into stores or leisurely chattering about something.  The weather was gorgeous, the sky a beautiful shade of blue, no clouds with a breeze that was hardly detectable.  She looked up at the building opposite to where she was standing.  She could see an outline of a person looking out on the centre of the Piazza.  She smirked. 'Quatre'.  She casually scanned the pillars besides the building.  A man stood leaning against a pillar, next to a vendor. 'Trowa'.  She knew Duo was in the 'getaway' car, Sally and Hilde were in the second 'getaway' car and Wufei was in the room above the gelati shop.  The only one she couldn't find was Heero. 'Still the perfect soldier, Heero?' Dorothy snapped out of her reverie when someone tapped her on her shoulder.

"Want some?" Bethany held out an ice-cream cone at Dorothy's face.

"Bethany, this is no time to be eating dessert." Dorothy's tone a mix of scolding parent and exasperated teenager.

"Dory!  That's what Firenze is famous for!" Bethany licked her ice-cream.  "It's Double Choc Mocha with nuts, dipped in thick, dark chocolate.  Sure you don't want some?"  She held it in front of Dorothy's face, slowly swaying it around.

"Bethany.  Firenze is famous for the Duomo, Michelangelo's David and the Ponte Vecchio.  Not an gelati shop on the corner."  Dorothy was getting impatient. 'Where are they?'

"So I take it, you don't want any? Your loss."  Bethany shrugged and continued to devour her double choc mocha with nuts covered in dark chocolate.

"Miss Bethany, Miss Dorothy.  A pleasure to see you again."  The two cousins turned to face the person who had just spoken to them.  Two man with jet black hair, slicked with enough hair gel to put Trowa to shame, olive skin, dark eyes and each standing at least four inches taller than the two gave a smile that said, 'I'm lying'.  They could have been poster boys for the Mafia.

Dorothy smirked at them. "Mr Alessio, Mr Mario.  The pleasure is all yours, I'm sure."  Bethany just continued to eat her ice-cream, ignoring the two men.  "It's amazing. You're the first ones here."  Dorothy kept her smirk on, her voice dripping with bland sarcasm.

Mario looked over at Bethany.  "Can I have a taste?" He said leering, trying to look down her summer dress.

Bethany gave a dangerous stare at him before kicking him in the shins.

"Oww! Ma va funculo! - "  He was about to continue when a voice stopped him cold.

"Lasciare la sua solo, voi idiot." They all looked at the person who had spoken.  Standing there was a dark-haired, semi-built man, with green-blue eyes. "Hello Miss Dorothy, Miss Bethany." 

Next to him stood a woman with the classic Italian features of Southern Italy.  She gave an easy smile at everyone.

"Giuseppi!  Veronica! It's so good to see you again!"  Bethany gave the two a hug, mindful not to spill her ice-cream.  Dorothy nodded to them both, smiling back genuinely before glaring at the two other men and continuing her search through the crowds; building up for midday shopping.  She arched a delicate eyebrow as a tall, pale man with light brown hair walked up to her.  "Mr William!"

The man gave a sad smile.  "I know we've lost both of them, but I and the Blue Council want to help."  

Bethany had stopped talking to Veronica and Giuseppi, and smiled sympathetically at the newcomer.  "I speak for the rest of the Council, when I say that we are truly sorry for your loss."  She gave him a consoling hug, which William took willingly.  Dorothy ignored the touching scene.  She wasn't trying to keep up her ice-bitch façade; she just didn't want to think about his loss – to lose his father and brother in one go…She blinked her eyes roaming the crowds again.  She didn't have to look for long.  Two light blond heads were seen weaving through the crowds.  Both had their hair at shoulder length, one wearing it up in a bun while the other had left it down. 

"Everyone's here." Dorothy nodded towards the two blond women.  Bethany, who had been reacquainting William with the others, stopped and turned in the direction Dorothy had pointed to.  

Bethany brightened as the last of the council arrived. "Sylvia, Myra! It's been too long."

         *******************

"Sir, We can easily pick them off from where we stand.  They have four on the lookout but none of them have seen us.  Two escape cars are parked on the side road.  We can easily take them out as well."  The soldier reported back his findings to the man.

The man shook his head.  "We only have a Net that can hold one key or code.  Kill one, any one.  Do it when they're in the cars.  We still don't know which base their going to."

The soldier saluted, turned and began signalling the orders.

         *******************

Heero watched as the group of eight piled into the two cars. 'Sylvia Noventa is one of them?'  He never thought he'd see her again, after he had offered his life to her.  He didn't like how easy this had been.  They had been as discreet as possible but this was too easy.  He watched as the last person, a man with jet-black hair, climb into the car.  He heard a soft swish and then the man fell.  

His gun out and already down the flight of stairs, Trowa meeting him at the bottom of the stairs and they both ran to the fallen body.  The car he was supposed to get in was already speeding through the narrow streets away from the dead body.  The crowds had scattered as the other ex-pilots joined Heero and Trowa.  

Wufei looked at the dead body.  The man had been shot in the head, the bullet neatly exiting through his left eye.  "How the hell did they get a shot like that?!"  He angrily scanned the rooftops, searching for any movement at all.  The place was deserted now, not one person emerged.  Before he got started on an angry tirade, a cloud of black smoke drifted slowly, almost lazily towards them.  

"What the - "

"Wufei!  Get out of the way!"  Quatre pushed him out of the way of the smoke as it began to wrap itself around the dead body.

"Shoot it!"  Heero began shooting at the black smoke, which had completely covered the body.  The bullets doing nothing as the black smoke seemed to get smaller and smaller until it had disappeared, dead body and all.

The four of them all stared at where the body had been.  Heero finally breaking the silence, "Let's go."  He began to walk towards another car hidden under a dusty covering.  "We need to tell them the Darkness has a another one."

         *******************

The screams had started yesterday.  Catherine couldn't block out the sound from her mind.  The screams seemed to reverberate around the cell.  It had made the other two prisoners in the cell draw more inwardly into themselves.  They had stopped eating.  Now they just rocked back and forth, almost in time to a beat Catherine couldn't – didn't want to hear.  The other girl, however, 'Nanashi' she had called herself seemed to be able to block out the screams.  She continued on, exactly the same before the screams.  Nanashi helped keep Cathie's mind off the screaming even if for just a few minutes.  Catherine shivered as she heard the sounds of footsteps near the entrance of the cell.  The lights flickered on and food entered through the opening.  Catherine let go of the breath she hadn't noticed she was holding.  Every time she heard the footsteps, she feared they were about to take her away…Away to where the screams originated and where they stopped.  Shuddering again as she heard someone get dragged out.  They weren't as vocal as the other ones but she knew it would only get louder.

"It's really systematic."  Nanashi said behind her on the cot bed.

"What?"  Cathie felt her way to Nanashi's cot, sitting beside the young woman, sitting with her knees drawn up to her chin.  She needed anything to keep her from thinking of the screams.

"It's systematic.  For the last three days, they've been taking out a person, every six hours. If we're going by the numbers on our hand, than we have less than three days left."  Nanashi whispered softly, her eyes staring blankly at the small table in the middle of the room.

Catherine closed her eyes.  'Now Nanashi's given up hope as well.  Oh Trowa, where are you!?!'  She blinked the tears threatening to pour out.  "No Nanashi!  Don't think like that!  We have three days.  We'll think of something."  Catherine tried to sound like her optimistic self.  She wasn't going to die here. No way.

         *******************

"Turn back now! Butana!  Turn back now!  My brother - " Alessio was cut short as Dorothy pointed a gun to his face.

"Your brother is lost to us now.  The only reason they didn't kill all of us was because that Net could only hold either one key or code.  So, Mr Alessio, I suggest you just sit there and be quiet."  Dorothy glared at him; the tension rose to new heights in the car.

Alessio spit in Dorothy's eye.  "Ma va funculo.  You used my brother as bait.  When we destroy the Darkness, I'll kill you.  I'll kill you."

Dorothy wiped the spit from her eyes with a handkerchief.  She continued to glare at Alessio.  "I look forward to it, Mr Alessio."  Her voice cold, she put the gun back into its place in her long jacket.  

Duo glanced in the rear mirror, his face creased with a frown. 'Shit!  This just gets worse and worse.'  He kept his eyes on the car in front of him, but not before giving the electronic map, situated where the CD player was a quick look. Three coloured dots moved around on the map.  The red one was the car he was driving, the green dot – the other pilots and the blue dot was the other 'getaway' car. Hilde was driving that car and he hoped the people in her car weren't so hostile. His chest constricted; this Darkness had just shot the other guy in the middle of a crowded street with a bunch of Council people around him.  'What if they couldn't stop the Darkness? What would he do if Hilde got hurt?  What if he died?'  For the self-proclaimed God of Death, these thoughts were unwelcome.  'I love you, Hilde.'  He promised himself that they would get through this.  They would.  He gave another glance at the backseat.  'Shit.'

Everyone was so quiet.  Sally glanced at Hilde who was focusing so hard on driving, sweat was beginning to form on her brow.  Sally had never been one to believe in fanciful ideas.  Nevertheless, this whole mess was an eye opener into a world she didn't really want to find out about.  'The Darkness, 'magical powers', the Council, Dorothy being able to heal like that…' Sally turned fully towards Hilde.

"Do you think that's why her eyebrows are like that?"

Hilde didn't move from her position for a full five seconds and Sally was about to repeat her question when Hilde gave her a strange look.  "Sal…" Then the two broke into giggles that turned into loud laughter as they both laughed out their fears, relief and hopes.

Someone lightly tapped the glass, separating the front and backseats. "Hey, you two, what's going on?"  Bethany's voice, filtered in softly through the glass.  The two immediately ceased their laughter.  Sally shook her head, while Hilde stared diligently at the road.  Sally pressed a button, making the glass slide down.  "Sorry, Bethany.  Nothing to worry about everyone."  She said reassuringly at the other passengers. "Nothing to worry about at all."

Trowa sat passively in the passengers seat, watching Heero pull up into a long driveway that led up to a Roman style mansion, on the outskirts of Florence.  Heero looked like his normal impassive self but Trowa could sense his underlying nervousness.  He hadn't thought Heero would leave Relena, but five minutes before the plane left, he was on the plane with them.  No one said anything; even Duo kept his mouth wisely shut.  Trowa turned back to the passenger window. He saw the two other cars parked at the front of the entrance to the mansion.  They had been here earlier in the morning since they had headed straight for this place right after the plane had landed. 

_"The Greater Council has bases in every single estate it owns but we don't employ anyone without the blood of the Ancestors running through them.  Considering your abilities as former Gundam Pilots; I don't think the Council will mind too greatly that we are going to use you to fight against the Darkness." Dorothy said in that calm, bland voice.  She had given all of them the security codes to get into the underground base and was now heading to the main control room.  The main control room was full of hi-tech equipment; a low humming and whirring sounds could be heard from the machines.  Each wall had a screen that covered most of the wall except for the last metre, which had panels protruding out, going all across the wall and constantly flashing an array of lights._

_"It's amazing that something like Romefeller could have a secret Council that fights a magical entity without using soldiers as their pawns."  Wufei said suspiciously. He didn't trust Dorothy or her cousin but if Sally wanted to help, then he'd help – not that he would ever tell Sally that. _

_"Romefeller was too busy fighting in the Alliance and Eve Wars to waste soldiers on a battle they thought they had already won."  Interjected Bethany, who had pushed a series of buttons on the control panel and was now sitting on a swivel chair, "I think it's time to show you guys the equipment needed for subspace travel." _

Trowa blinked as he remembered Bethany showing them the 'equipment'.  _"Darkness Soldiers were once humans but are now efficient zombies; their souls taken by the Darkness to quench it's thirst for Life.  Fire is the only thing that can kill them."  She said, showing them a strap-on petrol pack with a fire gun attached to them.  "Grenades work well too."_

Trowa and the others walked towards the great wooden front doors.  Quatre typed in the security codes and the door opened slightly.  They walked quickly to the library, Heero pulling out a panel hidden in a book on the vast bookshelf.  He remembered everything Dorothy had told him to press.  Once he finished the codes, a chute opened up in the corner of the bookshelf.  They slid down the slide, landing more gracefully then the last time they had gone down a chute.  Upon landing in the control room, a large group of people were there to greet them.  (Only Duo really greeted them.)

"Lets get the introductions out of the way.  This - " said Dorothy, pointing to an angry man with jet-black hair, " – is Mr Alessio, Black Council.  That is the Gold Council, Miss Veronica and Mr Giuseppi." Veronica gave a small smile, while Giuseppi nodded in their direction.  "The Green Council, Miss Sylvia and Miss Myra.  Mr Yuy, I know you're already acquainted with Miss Sylvia."  This was said with a smirk but Heero gave no indication he was fazed by it.  " – And this is Mr William, from Blue Council."

"Blue?  Hadn't they lost their code and key?" blurted out Duo.

Bethany glared at him.  "Yes but he is still going to help."  William gave her a grateful smile which she returned.

"We don't need someone who will turn into a liability."  Said Trowa.  They were wasting time.  He needed to find Catherine now.

Before Bethany could give him a piece of her mind, Quatre cut in, "He's part of the Council.  He won't be a liability to us.  Is everything ready? Shouldn't we suit up now?"  He knew Trowa was just worrying about Cathie.

Dorothy glanced at Quatre. 'Always the peacemaker, aren't you, Mr Winner.  Why do you care so much?'  Dorothy turned away from his quasi-angelic face. 'Think about the task at hand, Dorothy.  The task at hand.'  She walked to the other side of the room and placed her hand on the scanning system.  Another panel opened up and she pressed the small red button.  A whirring sound was heard as one of the screens was pushed back to reveal another room loaded with different types of firepower.  "Bethany, ready the transportation link.  Miss Sally, Miss Hilde you know what to do.  The rest of you please follow me."  Dorothy walked into where the screen used to be and the others followed.  Once everyone was inside, the screen went back into place.

Bethany, put on her earpiece and mic.  She sat on the swivel chair and rapidly began typing on the panels.  She glanced at Hilde and Sally who had slowly walked to their designated areas.  It had been a very angry fight on the plane, but the pilots had convinced the two that it would be better if they were helping Bethany in the control room.  She sighed inwardly. 'Wish I had someone who cared for me like that.  Hilde's so lucky to have Duo.  Hell even Sally's lucky to have Wufei…' She smiled before speaking into her mic.  "Dory can you hear me?  Testing, testing, la la la la la la la la - "

"Yes I can hear you Bethany."  Came a reply from her earpiece.

"Just checking." Her smile turning into a grin, "Everyone suited up?"

"Yes.  Engage transportation link."

"Aye, aye Captain!"  Rapidly pressing a series of buttons, a panel opened up, revealing a lever.  "Here goes nothing." She muttered pulling down the lever.

         ********************

- Subspace – Unknown Time –

_Keioa tightened her hold on her sister's hand.  What was left of the Council, were all linked together in a circle around the entrance of the portal to Joir.  The keys and codes were strong enough to drive the Darkness from Earth but they couldn't destroy it.  Their forces were too depleted to kill the Darkness.  Keioa felt all her power draining. 'No.  Just a little longer…' But the niggling feelings of doubt had already sprouted as she felt another wave of Darkness scream around them.  It was now in Joir but it still had too much power.  They wouldn't be able to close of the portal, even with the keys and codes.  Keioa felt herself slipping in the link. 'No! Come on, come on, we can do this…'_

_Lavirea gripped her sister's hand right back.  With the Council linked every thought, hope, fear – every feeling they were thinking she could see; the effect happened both ways but she doubted anyone was concentrating on what someone else was thinking.  They were too busy fighting a losing battle against the Darkness.  'We'll all die this way…' Then it came to her.  The answer so clear - so sudden she almost lost her link to the Council.  Wasn't she the most powerful out of what was left of the Council?  Didn't the Red power have no other power to balance against in the Council?  Green was cancelled out by Blue, Gold cancelled out by Black.  Red was the rawest and most powerful – it symbolised Life; it symbolised blood – the life force of every living thing on Earth, on Joir.  Lavirea knew exactly what to do._

Keioa felt it, her sister's thoughts.  She hadn't really been paying attention to it, focussing all her energy into destroying the Darkness.  Keioa snapped her head towards Lavirea.  She saw her closing the link to everyone.  "NO!!!" Keioa grabbed her sister back; the chain was breaking as Lavirea's link was closing.  Lavirea turned her glowing red eyes towards her sister, her link still open slightly.  The rest of the Council were getting drained faster with the links weakening as Lavirea tried to close hers.

"No…" Keioa said before letting go of her sister's hand and jumping into the Darkness.

         *********************

- Subspace – Real Time –

"Something tells me were not in Kansas, anymore."  Everyone ignored Duo's attempt at a joke.

"Duo, can you hear me?" He pressed the earpiece closer to his ear.

"Loud and clear, Hilde.  I don't think you'd want to go here for vacation."  He surveyed the landscape, which consisted of about two hundred different shades of grey and strange looking tree-like stumps that were about two metres tall. He narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on the gun.

"Duo, be careful." 

"Sorry to break up such a sappy moment but everyone needs to hear this."  Interrupted Bethany.  "Ok, time in subspace is fast.  You've just lost three days, meaning you have two days left to find Catherine and destroy the Darkness.  The dimensional haze isn't affecting our tracking devices on you, so we can see your movements.  However, Darkness Soldiers are harder to track, as they don't give off heat.  I suggest everyone be really, really careful and if you see black smoke coming towards you - run."  She paused before continuing. "They have built a fortress around the portal.  I can't give you an accurate map to where the fortress is, but I can give you the general direction.  Their soldiers are more likely to be around the fortress but still be alert.  I think it would be best if you took out the keys and codes now."

Dorothy nodded.  Unlike the pilots (and William) who were wearing head gear that included the mic and earpiece, a backpack-like container filled with petrol; fire gun attached to it and a grenade holder slung over one shoulder, the Council were wearing ancient talismans on their hands and a tiara-like talisman on their heads along with the headsets.  Both had on a shield that was connected by bracelet-like gadgets on their arms, legs and neck. She addressed the other members of the Council (except for William).  "It's time to let out the keys and codes."  They nodded and one by one each, glowed their colour.  Alessio made a diamond shape with his hands, and the blackness began to form around his fingers until a key developed.

"That's a key?!  It's a sword!"  Duo gawked at the sword in Alessio's hand.

"The key's are in the shape of swords." Alessio sneered back.

While Giuseppi placed his hands in front of his chest, never touching the other hand.  A golden light shown and a flurry of symbols came rushing out.  "This is the code of Gold."  It continuously circled around Giuseppi but its golden colour had dimmed considerably.

The others doing the same; Sylvia held the Green key, Myra the Green code and Veronica the Gold key.

"Why aren't there two people for Red?  Does the Darkness have a Red key or code?" asked Wufei.

"No they do not.  I have both."  Dorothy did the same as the others and the Red key and code materialised.  

"Good.  I think it's time you guys head one click to the south-easterly direction.  The fortress is in that general area."  Sally said.  She watched the screen as the little red dots signifying the group began to walk slowly through the dimensional haze.  'Come back alive Wufei.'

         ********************

"Sir, we have detected their entry into subspace.  They are no more than 3 miles away from the fortress.  Shall we send seven Nets to take the remaining keys and codes?"  

"No.  Send one Net, every time they get a mile closer.  Kill them one at a time.  We have two days until the portal is fully open.  Consider this a reward for serving the Darkness."  The man grinned.  He knew how demoralising it would be for those weak Councillors, when he killed them so easily.  The Darkness welled up inside him.  It was getting stronger and stronger.  Soon everything will die.

         *******************

"Bethany, how much more time left?" asked Trowa.  They had been walking for what seemed like hours as the greyness stretched on forever.

"You've been walking for nearly half a day.  In subspace that equates to about one mile."

"One mile?!  Oh crap!  This is ridiculous!  We haven't moved anywhere.  Why couldn't we have brought a Gundam in here?  It would have gone much faster if - " Duo never finished as they were bombarded with bullets.  "Shit!"  The bullets hit these shields that opened around them, looking like blue bubbles.

"Everyone spread out!"  The pilots all took strategic positions against the assault, throwing grenades at where the bullets were coming from.  The Council began throwing energy at where the bullets were being shot.

The bullets stopped after a few minutes.  "Dorothy, you ok?" Quatre stared concernedly at Dorothy who was leaning against one of those tree things.  She nodded.  'No, I'm not ok! Sheesh…relax, Dorothy, calm, calm…how can I stay calm! I heard…' She nodded her head again.

"Duo?! Duo!?  Is everyone ok?" Hilde asked frantically.

"Yeah…These shields are holding on pretty well."  Duo tried to stop his voice from sounding nervous.  

Heero motioned to Duo and Wufei to go forward and survey the area before them.  They came back, shrugging their shoulders.  "Looks like we scorched a few of the bad guys.  We must be getting closer cause - "

"GIUSEPPI!!"  Everyone turned to where Veronica had screamed.  Dorothy grabbed onto her, as she tried to help her brother who was being devoured by the Net. "Don't fire at it!"

"NO!"  Veronica began to sob, as she sagged into Dorothy's arms.  The Net vanishing as it had when it devoured Mario in Florence.

"Why can't we fire at it?" asked Heero, trying not to notice Veronica sobbing.

"Because it's a Net.  You can only fire at it if it hasn't devoured anything.  If it has and you fire at it, it will only get stronger and will be more likely to devour another thing."  Replied Bethany in a quiet voice that could barely be heard through the earpiece.  Her heart rate was slowly calming down. 'Giuseppi was gone.  I'm so sorry Veronica.'  She knew what it was like to lose a brother.  Her voice grew stronger, "Dorothy stay alert, ok?"

Dorothy just nodded as Veronica kept on sobbing in her arms.

         *******************

"Another code, another step closer to complete Darkness."  The man stared out into the grey of subspace. '3 codes and 1 key to us; 2 codes and 4 keys to them.' He chuckled.  Then he began to laugh loudly.  It almost sounded like a game.  A game he would win.  He stopped laughing and made his way through the labyrinth to where the sacrifices were being held.  Another would die now.  His face twisted into a smile.

         *******************

"Alright everyone, a whole day has nearly gone by.  I think it would be best if you guys rested for a little while.  The fortress shouldn't be too far from here.  And no arguing.  There's no point in you people being too tired to fight because you're so excited to get there."  Bethany said, as she rubbed her eyes.  'I'm going to need glasses after this.  These screens are killing me.'

Trowa was about to object, when Heero nodded.  "I agree.  I think it would be best if we rest for a short time."  He nodded in the direction of the Councillors, and Trowa nodded hesitantly.  "Good.  I'll take first watch, Trowa you take second and Quatre you take third."

The rest nodded, nobody was really in the mood to argue.

"You know Hilde, the best thing about this subspace is that the ground is clean."  Duo said softly unto his mic.

Hilde gave a small smile. "Goodnight Duo."

"Hilde, do you think you could talk to me?  Not that I'm saying your voice puts me to sleep! I mean – I just want to hear your voice."

Hilde blinked away her tears, "Of course, Duo."

Quatre had a fitful sleep and was grateful when Trowa had woken him up to take over for guard duty.  He kept having a nightmare where utter blackness would swallow up his friends and he would be left because the blackness wouldn't take him.  Quatre looked at the sleeping people.  Duo was snoring, while Wufei sat in a mediative position.  Veronica had cried herself to sleep, Sylvia and Myra slept back to back, and William was curled up in the foetal position sleeping lightly while Alessio had an iron grip on the key but he was still asleep.  Quatre gazed at Dorothy who was laying a few metres away from him.  She had her back to him and he could see her body rise and fall as she breathed. He was supposed to be on guard but he couldn't help look at her.  She shifted slightly and lifted her head, as if she had just heard something. Her trail of sight led her to look at straight at where Quatre was sitting, leaning on the tree-like stumps.  His eyes widened as he saw an unfamiliar tint in her eyes.  Fear.  He could see fear in Dorothy Catalonia's eyes. 

         *******************

Next on TCoL (I really want to do this sort of segment even if it's just once):  What the hell is happening?!!  Will the gang save the world? (it depends on my mood) or will Earth be plunged into eternal Darkness?!? (cheap dramatic music) Find out in the Next Chapter of TCoL where something actually happens!! (maybe…)

Person who has finished revising another chapter! Amazing!:

This is long.  I also think it's winding.  And no, I don't think it's a road. (sorry for the bad joke or pun or whatever it is).  R&R and C&C and flames! Yeah to flames! Please someone just give me one!! ^_~


	8. Chapter 6: Jumping and Inter-Dimensiona...

Disclaimer: Zip. Zilch. Zero.  That's my bank account, so it's pretty worthless suing me over using Gundam Wing.  I love everyone who has reviewed! Thanks, thanks, thanks!!  This is a monster long chapter; hope you like!

Special thanks goes to Anne, who keeps making sure I don't have so many plot holes!  You deserve a medal! (But I don't know how to draw one so just know you deserve one! ^_^)

**THIS IS THE REVISED VERSION!**

The Colours of Life

Chapter 6:  Jumping and Inter-Dimensional Travelling

By: J.B. Santiago

- Subspace – Real Time –

"I'm next." Nanashi said despondently.  Catherine just sat there in silent terror.  Those soldiers – those monsters – had just taken out the 22nd Sacrifice.  The man had finally shown some sort of life by trying to fight back, kicking and screaming to no avail.  Catherine continued to stare into the dark.  She couldn't get the faces of those men out of her head.  Their black eyes with white pupils and their translucent skin.  Their clothes made them blend into the dark surroundings.  They never said anything.  They just forcefully took what they wanted and left.  She shuddered, tears freely pouring down her face.  She was going to die.  'I'm so sorry Trowa.'  Catherine hugged her legs more tightly, rocking lightly to and fro.

         ******************

- Paris, Earth – Real Time –

Relena sat at the conference table for the Peace Summit Talks.  She tried to listen to what the delegate was saying but she couldn't.  He could of said pink, purple anteater elephant and she would have agreed.  How could she listen when her fiancé and closest friends were fighting a supernatural being, they knew nothing about?  She sighed inwardly.  She blinked as tears began to form as she remembered the goodbyes Heero had said before he left for Florence. 'No - not goodbye.  Just see you soon.'  She bit the bottom of her lip.  It wouldn't do for the Vice Foreign Minister to not pay attention to her work.  'Heero is fine and he'll be back and everyone will be okay.' She repeated the mantra in her head, smiling politely to the talking delegate.  One of the glass windows shattered.  Glass sprayed everywhere and Relena and the others in the room, dived under the table to shelter themselves from the falling debris and the shower of bullets.  Relena gritted her teeth. 'Can't I have a meeting that doesn't end in gunfire?'  She crawled to a secret door Heero had told her about - an escape route.  Other delegates followed her example, all exiting through this door.  The passage led to the gardens and hedge maze.  Once the delegates opened the door to the outside they scattered as more gunfire was heard. 'Argh!  This is ridiculous!'  She ran through the maze, never running into a dead end.  She finally reached the middle of the maze and was about to go to the left when she felt a cold barrel point to her head.  Turning around to see her assailant, her eyes widened as she saw him. His eyes completely black aside from the white pupils; skin so pale it seemed translucent and they were covered from head to toe in black.  The only thing not covered was his face.  He sneered.  "Your power is needed for the Darkness."

Then a shot reverberated through the maze.

         ******************

- Subspace – Real time –

"I see the fortress."  Heero said, putting the binocular-looking device back into his pocket. "It's heavily guarded; all around, from what I can see.  I don't think the direct approach would be wise."

"How much time do we have left?" asked Trowa, his voice not showing any worry but his hand was showing white knuckles as he gripped the mic to his mouth.

"Less than 15 hours.  Precisely 14 hours, 26 minutes before they…" Bethany trailed off, when she realised she was about to say 'before they kill Catherine.'  They had less than 15 hours to break through the fortress, save Catherine and defeat the Darkness.  Bethany tried not to think of how hopeless this situation was getting; it wasn't working.  "Heero, I know this sounds crazy but I think the direct approach would be the best approach."

Duo cut in before Heero could reply, "Uh, Bethany, you're not here to see how heavily guarded this place is.  So I don't think you should tell us battle strategy."  He wasn't about to go get himself killed, not when he had Hilde to come home to.

"That's true, Duo but you don't need to kill all the soldiers guarding the place.  You just have to get into the fortress to shut them out.  There will be fewer soldiers in the fortress, and they'll be mostly in the portal room.  All you really need is a big diversion in front to get into the fortress."  Bethany reasoned, ignoring the disbelieving looks Sally and Hilde were giving her.

"Sure, we'll just barge right in front, using a diversion to get us inside.  Ah, what diversion!?  These plasma bubble shield thingies can't withstand a full on assault of bullets!  It's suicide!"  Duo was now flailing his arms around.

"How many grenades do you guys have left?" persisted Bethany.

"Listen, onna, I don't think you under - " Wufei began but she cut him off.

"HOW many grenades do you have left!?" Bethany was now gripping the panel, as she gritted out the sentence.

"About 30…34.  Why?" asked Trowa.

"Ok…That's good.  Each grenade contains not just the normal ingredients that make it go 'Boom' but a liquid called x-921.  Not your average grenade, now is it?  Anyway, you can see there is a thin rubber around the circumference.  Turn the grenade, left twice, then right once, then left three times, fully.  You should here a small click, when you do, you can pull the grenade apart.  The one with the pin is the normal grenade.  The other half contains x-921.  This is your diversion."  Bethany said triumphantly.

         ******************

- Unknown Place – Unknown Time –

_'What?' Keioa thought.  She was supposed to be dead, wasn't she?  She had jumped into the Darkness, all her energy being enough to seal the Darkness in Joir.  Why wasn't she dead?_

**"Because you sealed me in here."**

_The voice, if you could call it a voice, seemed to come from the inside of her mind but at the same time it seemed to emanate from all around her.  Keioa couldn't see anything but she could feel a presence, cold and definitely not inviting. She didn't get it.  This wasn't what was supposed to happen.  She should be dead._

_A deep rumbling sound emanated around her.  Keioa's eyes widened when she realised it was laughter of some sort._

**"I can hear your thoughts.  So very loud and clear."**_  The laughter sounded again, becoming more and more human sounding. _**"You cannot hide anything from me**_."_

_Keioa steeled her nerves. "It doesn't matter what you do to me!  You'll never be able to get out of this place!"  She tried to look defiant but it was hard since she was floating in nothingness._

_It laughed again_**.  "I will get out.  Thanks to you."**_  It laughed again, the noise stretched out everywhere.  Keioa could feel it in her bones._

"What?"  Until then, the fear had been minimal but now she was becoming increasingly fearful.

**"Your energy closed the portal, but your energy will get me out."**_  The voice had taken on a raspy sound as it explained how it would use her_**.  "I will channel all my power into you and you will find me a willing soul and an army I will have at my command.  I will touch Earth again and this time I will win."**

_Keioa shook her trembling head. "N-no!  You'll never use me! No! Never!"  She said still defiant._

_The Darkness seemed to go silent.  As if it was contemplating what she said.  Then it spoke, _**"Do you wish to see your sister?"**

Surprised at the question, Keioa narrowed her eyes. "See my sister?  What do you mean?"

**"I can show you the world, what is happening right now."**

_Before she could reply back, a pool of liquid materialised next to her and she couldn't help but peer into it.  Her eyes widened when she saw Lavirea smiling at someone she couldn't see.  She could hear no sound but her sister laughed and looked happy.  Keioa smiled.  She was relieved Lavirea hadn't gone and blamed herself for what she had done.  'That's why I jumped into the Darkness – I wanted my sister to be happy.'  She reached out to touch the pool when another person came into view then her hand stopped cold.  Beijn.  The man she loved with all her being.  The man who said he loved her back.  That man was kissing her sister.  Keioa's mouth gapped open. "What? How?  When is this happening?" She asked the Darkness, momentarily forgetting her fear of it._

**"When?  Now of course.  I cannot show the future, only the present."**_  It's voice taking a deceptively calm tone_**.  "They seem very happy, don't they?  With you gone, I guess they're much more happier."**

Keioa tore her eyes away from the pool.  She stared into the blackness. "That's not true…Your LYING!" She pushed herself away from the pool, floating nowhere.

**"Why do you think your sisters thoughts of jumping into the portal were the only thoughts you felt?  How convenient.  They look like such a happy couple."**_  The voice had a distinct snickering sound to it now._

_"No…" Keioa kept shaking her head. "No…you're lying!  Shut up! Lavi would never do that to me…No…" The liquid pool seemed to float nearer to her, showing images of Lavirea and Beijn together.  "Leave me alone!"_

**"Leave you alone?  You are in me."**_  It laughed again.  _**"You will never leave."**_  More liquid pools materialised showing her sister, Beijn, her friends happy, alive, forgetting her…Keioa tried to close her eyes but the images burnt into he mind. 'No…'_

         ********************

  - Florence, Earth – Real Time -

"Reporting to you live, from Paris at the Summit Peace Talks where several delegates were brutally shot down by an unknown terrorist group - " One of the squares on the screen blared out.

"What?!"  All three of them yelled at the screen, their excitement at finally having a plan, short-lived.

" – most prominent delegate killed was the Vice Foreign Minister, Relena Darlian.  Her body was found in the maze, a shot to the head - "

"Oh my God.  Oh my God.  Relena…" Hilde sat stunned as the reporter continued to tell of the horrific events that had just transpired.

Sally pressed her trembling hands together.  "We-we have to tell Heero."

Bethany tore her eyes away from the screen, "No!" she yelled at Sally.  "We can't tell him."

"What do you mean, Bethany!?  Relena is his fiancée…was her fiancée.  Oh God."  Hilde began to weep.

Sally pressed the on button for the mic.  "Heero…"

Bethany quickly typed in a code to seal off any communication to the gang in subspace.  "No, you can't tell him." 

Sally's eyes grew wider, her face becoming distorted with anger. "Open the lines!  He deserves to know! Open the Goddamn lines!"  She slapped Bethany hard on the face.  "Open the Lines!"

Bethany placed a hand on the cheek Sally slapped, her eyes brimming with tears.  She shook her head. "He doesn't need to know - "

"Like hell, he doesn't need to know!" Hilde's face stained with tears as she tried to open the lines of communication to the others.

Bethany started again. "He doesn't need to know because I can bring her back."

Sally and Hilde stopped hitting the panels.  "What?" they said in unison.

"There is something like the transportation link which can travel through time.  Well sort of…" Bethany said, rubbing her cheek gently.

"Travel through time, sort of?  A time machine?" Sally said, sceptically.

"Sort of, because well…it's a theory I have and I haven't fully completed it."  Bethany pressed a set of numbers on the panel and another screen pushed back to reveal another room.

"A theory?  Never been proven?  Just open the lines, we need to tell Heero that…" Sally couldn't finish the sentence.

Bethany pulled out a laptop from the room, the other two following her into that room.  She connected it to a device on the far wall.  Opening it up she typed in more codes before the wall to her right opened up to reveal a black seat with an array of wires and different sets of keyboards attached around it.  Sitting on the seat she looked at the other two.  "Here."  She gave Sally a card.  "This will open the lines.  Don't tell him yet.  If I don't come back in half an hour, tell Dorothy I'm dead too."  

Hilde stared at Bethany. "Are you mad!?  Don't get yourself killed as well!"

"Hilde, thanks for caring but if there is any way I can help is by doing this."  She looked at Sally. "Please don't tell them.  Don't open the lines until five minutes has gone by."

Sally nodded.  "Come back, ok?"

Bethany flashed them a lopsided smile.  She took out another card.  "Attach this to the main computer; it's a program that will decode the security in the fortress."  'Hopefully.'  She thought as she pressed a series of buttons and certain lights began to flash red.  "Move back!"  She yelled before the machine began to hover and more lights began to flash.  The two moved to the opposite wall as they watched Bethany, strapped to a chair, vanish into thin air.  The only thing left was an afterimage of the lights.

         ********************

- Subspace – Real Time –

Dorothy watched as the pilots took apart their grenades.  This diversion needed to be big.  She hoped Bethany was right about this, if she wasn't…stopping that train of thought her sight wondered over to Quatre's.  She quickly turned away as his eyes began to weave that magical affect it seemed to have on her.  She smirked, 'I'm the one with magical powers and his gaze alone makes me think it's magical.'  Although she tried not to think about it, the conversation they had had early in the morning kept replaying in her mind.

_Quatre hesitantly walked over to Dorothy's side as she got up to lean on the palms of her hands.  "Miss Dorothy - "_

_"Aren't you supposed to be on guard, Mr Winner?"  The fear had left her face and had been replaced with its usual smirk, her voice condescending and bland at the same time._

_"What's wrong, Miss Dorothy?"  Quatre ignored the façade; he could feel a whirl of emotions rushing around Dorothy._

_Dorothy broke off eye contact.  A few more seconds of staring into those deep pools of blue and she would have blurted out her entire soul to him. 'What's left of it; anyway.' She thought bitterly, before defiantly staring back at those eyes.  "Wrong?  The only thing wrong is you not doing your job.  Now if you would be so kind - " She turned to lie back onto the ground when she felt a strong yet gentle hand grab her shoulders and spun her around._

_Please, Miss Dorothy.  You can talk to me." He stared intently at her beautiful eyes, willing her on silently through his eyes._

_Dorothy felt hot liquid begin to form in her eyes.  She couldn't believe it, after six years and he could still make her cry. She shook her head fiercely, 'No!  I can't let him know what control he has over me.'  Dorothy forcefully shoved Quatre's hands from her shoulders.  "Please refrain from touching me again, Mr Winner."  She said her voice hard and her eyes unforgiving._

_"Please, Dorothy, I want to help you..." The rest of what Quatre was going to say died in his throat as Dorothy's eyes took on an icy glare._

"Help?  You can't even guard us against possible ambush!  How could you possibly help?!"  Her voice rose a few degrees and several people stirred in their sleep.

Quatre unclasped another grenade.  The other pilots had already finished.  He just couldn't think clearly, after that conversation with Dorothy early in the morning.

Quatre could feel her retreating more and more into her shell.  He summoned up all his courage and asked her a question, "What are you so afraid of?"

'How do you keep surprising me, Quatre?'  Dorothy turned her attention back onto the task at hand but in the back of her mind, the conversation kept going.

_Dorothy blinked at the unexpected question.  She had been expecting him to mumble an apology and go back to guarding.  'What did he mean, afraid of?  Afraid of the Darkness? Afraid of dying in this desolate place?  Afraid of losing more people she knew – friends? Or afraid of him?  Was she afraid of him? No.  She was afraid of what he could see…' She shivered involuntarily, was she afraid of so many things? No, not possible.  She was Dorothy Catalonia.  She wasn't afraid_.  **"Liar."**_She darted a glance at the fortress a little over a mile away._

Wufei fastened the half grenade onto the gun.  The other pilots were doing the same while the councillors were gathering energy into their key or code.  The only two who weren't really doing what they were supposed to do were Quatre and that eyebrow freak onna of his.  Wufei rolled his eyes, as the two stole a glance at each other before going about their business.  Everyone was supposed to be focussing on the mission, not making googly eyes at each other. "Why don't they just do it already, save us a whole lot of trouble." He grumbled to himself.

"What Wufei?  I didn't quite hear you?"  Sally 's voice plainly stating that she had heard him.  He didn't answer her, turning off his earpiece, before realising how silly that would be and turned it back on.  He rolled his eyes again as Quatre fumbled with the grenades.  He had heard some of their conversation; he was mediating and they were talking loud enough for him to hear it.  He wasn't eavesdropping; it wasn't his fault they talked loudly…

Quatre fastened on the last grenade to his gun, quickly darting a glance at Dorothy's face, looking expressionless so unlike when they were talking.

_Quatre saw the look of fear return on her face.  He turned to look at what she was looking at and then back at her.  'What was it?' He thought as he gently took her hand and murmured, "Please, I want to help."_

_Dorothy slowly turned towards him her blue-grey eyes meeting his aquamarine ones.  Her face conveying emotions she couldn't put to words. They held the gaze for what seemed like an eternity, before she broke it off, looking at the hand he held.  She whispered something inaudible, still staring at his hand over hers._

_"Dorothy?" He said softly, questioningly, wanting her to repeat what she had said audibly.  She continued to stare at their hands before she slowly slid her hand from his warm touch.  She turned away from him, her face becoming its normal calm façade.  She kept her vision straight, looking at the fortress in the distance.  "I'm scared to lose.  Lose to the Darkness.  Lose Catherine.  Lose anyone else."  She didn't add, 'I'm scared to lose you.'  But her eyes were betraying that thought, and she'd be damned if he knew that, so she kept staring into the distance._

_Quatre was taken aback at Dorothy's answer.  He hadn't expected her to answer and to answer so honestly, so open.  His heart pounded harder, its sound making it hard for him to hear anything.  His hands felt sweaty all of a sudden but he still reached out to her, tenderly hugging her to him.  He tightened his grip on her when she placed her arm around his chest, still not looking at him.  He could smell her strawberry scented hair, her porcelain skin inches from his lips. _

_Dorothy suddenly pulled out of the embrace.  Her eyes showing confusion as she finally looked into his eyes.  Quatre still held onto her, though they were further apart, his dark aquamarine eyes always shining with compassion…love.  Dorothy felt emotions she had been trying to push down for so long surface all at the same time.  The code that glowed a dull red around her began to brighten as it fed on her emotions.  They continued to stare intently at each other, the red glow spreading around them.  Then she kissed him._

         *********************

- Paris, Earth – Real Time –

Bethany almost threw up her lunch.  Sitting very still in the chair she looked straight ahead.  She was in the gardens where the Peace talks were being held.  Slowly moving to look at her co-ordinates she was about half an hour before that news telecast was going to be broadcasted.  Carefully getting out of the chair with its wires, screens and keyboards all giving small sparks and weird whirring noises, she was about to turn on her Tracker when she heard the gunfire. 'Crap!'  She ran towards the maze, ignoring the sickening feeling she was getting.  Relena would be running through the maze, any minute now.  Standing near the entrance to the middle of the maze she waited.  Her eyebrows shot up when she saw the hedges begin to move. 'What the -?' Then Relena came running towards her, the hedges behind her going back to normal.

"Bethany?!  What are you doing here?"

She gave Relena an amazed look.  Shaking her head, "No time to explain, follow -?"  Her words were cut off when bullets were fired in their direction.  The bullets melted into the blue-ish bubble shield.  Bethany, using her body as a shield pushed Relena towards where the machine was.  Reaching the machine with the Darkness soldiers hot on their trail she quickly pressed a series of complicated sequences of codes pushing Relena into the seat, while she hung onto the frame of the chair.  "Come on, come on," she muttered to the contraption.  Bullets hit the shield and the machine, causing more sparks to fly.  The machine began to hover, lights flashing everywhere before it disappeared leaving only an afterimage.

         *********************

The gang were less than a mile from the fortress.  Duo felt really uneasy and Hilde sounded strange, talking to him like she was about to burst out crying.  The grenades containing x-921 were carefully loaded into his gun, but Bethany had said not to fire them until they were close to the fortress.  'This diversion better work.'  He thought looking around for any possible dangers.  The dimensional haze was thickening and it was getting harder to see clearly.  His shield suddenly flared up as gunshots was sprayed all over the place. 'Shit!' He ducked and ran behind a tree stump.  Bethany had said these shields could only take a certain number of hits before they began to fail.  He unhooked one of the normal grenades from their holders and threw it in the direction of where the shots were being fired.  He could see the other pilots and William doing the same.  The other Councillors were sheltering behind other tree stumps, conserving their energy for the really big fight with the Darkness.  He was running out on normal grenades and the bullets weren't stopping.  He looked at the others, they seemed to have more grenades, he could run over to Wufei and take some of his – His train of thought stopped when he saw a blackness make it's way towards Sylvia who was concentrating on the battle in front of her.  "Sylvia! Behind YOU!"  He yelled, running towards her, ignoring the bullets, intent on saving Sylvia from the Net.

Sylvia turned around but it was too late, the Net had already gotten a hold of her.

"No, Duo!  Don't touch her!"  Dorothy ran into the running Duo, both tumbling to the ground.  Everyone watched as the Net swallowed Sylvia and dissipated into nothingness again.  The gunfire stopped as soon as the Net disappeared.

Duo pushed Dorothy off him. "Why'd you do that for!?  I could've saved her! Now the Darkness has another one of you!"

Dorothy glared at him.  "If you touched her, the Net would of taken you as well.  You don't carry any power so you're light, easy to devour."  She brushed herself off, walking towards Myra, who was leaning against a tree shell-shocked, looking at the spot where her cousin had been.

Veronica spoke softly behind Duo.  "She just saved your life, Mr Maxwell."  She walked up to Myra who was now crying to Dorothy and hugged the girl.  She knew what she was going through.

"We've lost a key. Now they have two keys and three codes.  We're even now."  Alessio said giving Duo a sideways glance before walking away from everyone.

"Duo, are you ok?"  Hilde's worried voice brought him back to reality.

"Yeah, babe.  I'm ok."  He said into the mic, not very convincingly.

"Maxwell, you tried."  Wufei nodded his head; that was the closest thing he could come up with that didn't sound contrite.  Quatre gave him a pat on the shoulder, giving him a weary grin before heading towards Myra, to give her his condolences.  

"We need to keep moving.  We're running out of time."  Heero said in his monotone voice.

Quatre was about to object, when Myra interrupted him.  "Yes, I think we should keep going."  Dorothy gave her a questioning look and Myra nodded again. "I want to get out of this place as soon as possible and the only way out is to defeat the Darkness."

Heero nodded and everyone set off once more towards the fortress. Albeit a little more frightened and defeated than before.

         **********************

"Sir, they are less than a mile away.  We have equal amounts of keys and codes.  Their shields will not last for much longer.  Will you give the order to exterminate them once they reach the doors?"  

The man nodded. "Yes.  Kill them all once they get to the doors."  

The soldier saluted and left the room.  He walked towards the portal room.  The portal was open now, unstable but open.  With the last two sacrifices about to be killed in less than 13 hours, the Darkness would be able to break free from its prison and then he would finally get what he deserved.  Darkness.  Total Darkness.

         **********************

    - Time –

Relena threw up everything she had eaten for lunch and breakfast.  Bethany ignored the vomit and dragged Relena away from the machine before it blew up on them.  An eternity seemed to pass before Relena slowly got up from her lying position.  She looked at Bethany and tried not to notice the place they were in, was constantly moving.  Then she realised what had happened to that thing she had been sitting on.  She could see a few bits and pieces of it, all singed and smoking.

"Lucky we got out before it exploded, hmm, Miss Relena?"  

"Bethany…Bethany where are we?"  Relena bit down on her lip she could still taste bile in her throat but she was trying to bite down on her hysterical fear that was bubbling up inside her.

"It seems we are in a time-limbo."  Bethany helped Relena up to her feet as they both stared at their surroundings.  Everywhere they looked they could see a blue-green substance all around them.  Bethany hesitantly reached out to touch the substance and it sent a ripple through the whole area.  An image popped up and began to look like a train, as more images joined the first image, giving it an image-train look.

"Oh my God…" She whispered softly, looking at a particular image, "That's when my parents were about to go board the plane that…" She let go of Relena and started to walk into the blue-green substance that contained the image of a plane and people.  

Relena grabbed Bethany's arm, "What are you doing?"

Bethany stared at the arm Relena was holding onto, her eyes had a wild look to them. "I'm going to stop my parents from getting on that plane.  I won't let them die again."  She shook Relena's hand off her arm and continued towards the image.  

Relena realising what she was about to do, lunged at her, knocking her down onto the ever-changing floor.  "No, Bethany! You can't change the past, you can't…" Her words died off when she saw the images of her father.  Her foster father.  She saw Lady Une place her compact-bomb next to the door.  "No…" She hurriedly got up and began to rush into the image.

Bethany tackled her from behind.  "No way, Relena!  You're right, don't turn back on your words now!"

"Bethany let go of me!  You don't understand!  I need to save my father - "

"No, I understand perfectly."  Bethany pressed down on Relena as they struggled to get the upper hand.  "Saving you from death is enough tampering with the future."

Relena stopped moving. "I died?"  She remembered the bullets flying everywhere.  She had died?  That machine they were in must have been a time machine.  But now they were in limbo.  She held her head in her hands this was getting to be too much.

"No, you didn't die.  When I went back to get you, you didn't die by a bullet to your head.  However, I don't know if we'll survive this place."  Now they just both looked at each other wearily.  "We're way over our heads."

Relena nodded, she didn't know what to say.  She should be dead but she was in some time limbo where she was about to go save her father from getting killed.  She looked back at Bethany who was giving her a funny look, as if she had just remembered something.

"I can't believe I didn't feel your power before.  I'm usually pretty good at sensing powers in people but you alluded me.  I must have mistaken your power for kindness."  She gave a faraway look, "Hmm…Maybe Quatre has some sort of power too…" She chuckled lightly.

Relena gave her an Oh-crap-she's-gone-insane-look.  "Uh, Bethany what are you talking about?"

"The Green Power.  You have it.  When the hedges moved to clear your path, I realised you must have had the power.  Considering you only have a few choices from what power you can have since Red and Green are only inherit in the female genes and Blue and Black are inherit in the male genes while Gold can flow into any."  Bethany rambled on.

Relena's eyes grew bigger when she realised what Bethany was saying.  "You're telling me I have some sort of power?  The Green Power?" She said disbelievingly.

Bethany nodded.  "It explains why you can be so calm sometimes and so volatile the next - like nature.  Green is mainly associated with Earth, plants and stuff.  Ever had a plant?  I bet it's not dead."  She said smugly.  "You would be a great asset to the Green Council."

"How, oh nevermind."  Relena sighed. "What's the point of having powers if it wont help us get out of this place.  She waved her hands about to emphasis her point.

Bethany was about to retort when she realised Relena was right.  She leaned on her hand in a classic pose of thinking.  "When you saw me walk towards the image of my parents, what did you think of?"  She inquired her light jade eyes sparkling with renewed interest.

"What did I think of?  I thought of my father, why?"  Relena asked.

Bethany gave a wide smile.  "This place is reflecting the things we want to change.  If I think of the base in Florence and you think of Hilde and Sally and everyone, I think we'll be able to get out of this place."

Relena gave her a sceptical look before shrugging her shoulders.  "Ok, lets give it a try."

Bethany thought of the moments right before she disappeared through a time warp in the base.  Relena thought of everyone, mostly of Heero.  A row of images began to appear.  They both watched them keenly, until Bethany pointed to one of them, "That one!  Lets go!"

They both stood up ready to jump into the image.  Relena faced Bethany.  "Do you think this will work?"

Bethany looked at the image slowly moving away from them.  "Lets go and find out."  They both nodded before jumping into the image sending the place rippling everywhere.

         **********************

"Hope this works," Duo muttered as the pilots plus William, fired the first rounds of x-921 grenades at the sky of subspace.  A blue substance exploded out of the grenades showering the sky with blue light.  

"Go, go, GO!"  Heero motioned as everyone ran through the blue light.  Gunshots were heard but it wasn't anywhere near where they were.  _"x-921 is a blue substance that creates an illusion of space.  For example, if you were on the right side of the road and went through a x-921 atmosphere everyone outside that atmosphere would see you on the left side of the road.  Depending on how much x-921 you have, makes the distance either further or closer apart."  Bethany explained using the same voice a teacher would use explaining something new to her class.  "You have enough of the substance to create an illusion of at least 50 metres.  But the illusion lasts about sixty seconds so you need to work quickly to run into the fortress and keep the atmosphere up."_

_"Then what?"  asked Wufei.  "We get to the doors and they're not going to open with a few explosions."  He looked at the fortress through binoculars.  "That door looks like it's made of Gundanium."_

_Bethany replied, accentuating every word.  "You're not going to blow it up.  You are going to link me to the security panel and I'm going to open the door, using brain power not brawn power."_

"How do you know a security panel is there?"  inquired Heero.

_Bethany let out a sigh.  "Trust me, ok?  There's a panel and I can hack into anything."  She said it with such finality no one said anything after._

The gang fired more of the substance into the sky, running as they did so.  Two more minutes and they would reach the doors, enough x-921 to get there.  Then the hard part: getting into the actual fortress.  The gang made it to the doors; they had 40 seconds before the atmosphere disappeared.  Dorothy spoke urgently into her mic, "Bethany?  We're at the doors; I'm going to uplink you now. Bethany?!"

Sally activated the card by inserting it into the main computer.  "Dorothy the doors are being worked on."  She replied into her mic, staring nervously at the screen.

"Where's Bethany?"

Sally and Hilde shared an anxious look.  "She had to go get something."  Hilde replied unconvincingly.

Dorothy narrowed her eyes but let it go, watching as the link to the security panel, began to decode the passwords to open the doors.

"Can it go any faster?!  The atmosphere is beginning to thin!"  Alessio said as he tensed his grip on his key.

"10…9…8…7…6…5…4…" Dorothy muttered.  She was about to say '3' when the doors clicked open.  "Everyone go!"

Inside the fortress, closing the doors closed before '1' was said. The gang broke off into pairs; this would give them more chances of finding Catherine.  Trowa went with Alessio down a left passageway; Heero and Wufei went into the farthest passage to the left; Duo and Veronica went to an upper level, William and Myra went through a passageway to the right and Quatre and Dorothy went towards a passageway to the farthest right.  The aim was to find Catherine first, then get to the portal room and destroy the Darkness.  Easier said than done.

Duo opened yet another door that led to an empty dark room.  Kicking the door he shook his head at Veronica before they continued on their way through the maze of doors and empty rooms.  "Hilde, can you see anything on the screens?"

"Nothing Duo.  The screens aren't able to penetrate through the fortress, I can't get anything but fuzzy pictures."

Duo groaned as he kicked yet another door leading into a dark empty room…

Heero walked carefully through the passageway.  It reminded him of a corridor on a battleship with less lights.  Wufei walked beside him eyeing all the doors, as if they would open suddenly.  The lights suddenly dimmed and the passageway became almost pitch black.  Turning on a flashlight attached to the gun, Heero and Wufei stopped, looking for any possible movements.  A figure quickly ran away, further up the passageway.  Heero nodded and he and Wufei gave chase…

William heard the sounds of footsteps heading towards where he and Myra were.  Pulling Myra into a dark room they ran to the door opposite the one they entered, not realising that door was opening slowly…

'This is stupid, Dorothy.' She thought, stealing a glance at Quatre.  'End this now or you'll never concentrate on the task ahead.'

"Mr Winner, stop."  She held out her hand and Quatre gave her a questioning look.  Dorothy gave a sideways glance before giving Quatre her patent calm face.  "Mr Winner, what happened this morning was a mistake.  I wasn't in the right frame of mind, and I apologise for leading you into believing it meant something." She blinked her eyes a couple of times, to hide the fear she knew she would portray as she heard that voice again… **"Liar."**

Quatre wasn't convinced.  "Then why can't you mention it, Dorothy?  You're not the type of person to just _kiss_ someone."  He emphasised the word.  He wasn't going to let her talk her way out of this. He knew she couldn't forget how she had cried into his shoulder, hugging him to her like her life depended on it.

Dorothy's eyes hardened, as she started walking forward again.  "I doubt you thought I would be the type of person to have magical powers, either.  Am I correct, Mr Winner?"  She stopped suddenly at a large door.

Quatre quickened his pace to catch up with her, "Yes, that's true but I don't believe you when you say it didn't mean - " The rest of what he was saying faded away as he saw where Dorothy had stopped at.  Five pillars in the shape of a circle surrounded the room.  Each pillar was a different colour but only four of them glowed that colour.  The Blue pillar glowed the brightest, with both the key and code embedded into it.  The only one not glowing was the Red pillar.  With each pillar glowing the portal would either close or open.  In the middle of the pillar's circle was a whirlpool of colours, swirling in different directions, occasionally spewing out blackness.

"This is the portal room."  Dorothy said awed at the sight in front of her.  Gunfire sounded behind them, their blue shields protecting them from the shots.  "We need to get back to the others!"

Quatre nodded, his gun emitting huge amounts of fire, burning Darkness Soldiers as they ran back in the direction they came from.

"How much time, left?"  Trowa asked for the umpteenth time into his mic.

"About twelve hours."  Replied Sally.  She and Hilde still couldn't see anything on the screens except fuzzy lines.

"This is a dead end."  A frustrated Alessio punched the wall just as a couple of soldiers walked past them.  Trowa and Alessio stopped breathing as the soldiers continued on their way. 'Truly like zombies…' He shook his head exhaling loudly.

Trowa began to follow where the soldiers were headed.  "Hey!  Wait for me!" hissed Alessio as he tried to keep up with the quick pace of the ex-Gundam pilot.  Trowa placed his fingers on his mouth to single for quiet.  The soldiers went through a series of doors, closely followed by the two, until they reached a row of doors with a sliding panel attached to it.  Opening the door furthest to them, they emerged with a blond woman kicking and screaming.  Trowa's eyes widened when he heard someone yell "Let go of her!  Let go of her!"  He ran towards the soldiers, ready to scorch them; he had heard Cathie's voice.  She was alive.  The soldiers momentarily shocked seeing him, loosened their grip on the blond woman who kicked away from them as Trowa set them alight.  Their bodies disintegrated quickly, turning into a pile of ash.  He ignored all that and headed into the dimly lit room.  Catherine stared at him in shock.  Then she ran into him, hugging him like she would never let go.  Her tears flowed freely onto his clothes as they stood there hugging.  A tear rolled down his cheek.  His Cathie was safe.  She was safe and everything was ok again.  "Trowa…" She whispered as she tightened her grip on her brother.

He didn't let go of her, whispering softly, "Cathie…we have to go.  The others are here.  We're going to get you out of here.

Catherine nodded, still crying and holding onto Trowa for dear life.  They walked out of the cell, arms around each other.  She looked gratefully at Alessio who stood awkwardly, avoiding the ashes.  Then her trail of sight landed on Nanashi who was leaning on the wall.  Catherine gave a watery smile.  It was good to see her alive.  "Nanashi, this is my brother, Trowa."  She said proudly, not noticing Trowa's grip on her tighten.

Nanashi looked up at Trowa's green eyes, turning away quickly mumbling a 'thank you' before continuing to look at the floor.  Catherine nodded, her smile widening.  "Come on.  Let's get out of this hellhole."

Trowa nodded and Alessio had already begun to walk back to where they had started.  Trowa gazed at the petite blond woman walking a little ahead of him and Catherine. 'Midii…?'

         *********************

"They've gotten inside, sir.  They fired some sort of substance into the atmosphere and most of the soldiers outside are dead."

"What?!  Send everyone to the portal room.  They must not get in there!  Send out as many Nets as you can."  The Man thumped his hand against the table.

"But-But sir, we need at least fifteen soldiers to operate a Net.  We have enough to send out three Nets - "

"THREE!?"

"Yes and the portal is unstable, it's missing two Sacrifices."  The soldier felt the Darkness inside him begin to boil, the Man was mad.

The Man gave him a fierce glare.  Then his face brightened somewhat when he realised something.  "On second thoughts, don't fight them.  Let them reach the portal room.  They will only help to open it."  The Man gave an insane laugh and the soldier hurried away to do his bidding.

         **********************

"AHH!" yelled Duo as someone hurtled into him as he opened another door, expecting an empty room.  They fell on the floor with a loud thud, Veronica standing over them, brandishing her key.  "Myra?"  She helped the person who had fallen on top of Duo.  "William?  How'd you end up here?"

"I wanted to ask that same question." Said another voice from the room.  Heero and Wufei walked out of the same room William and Myra had run out of.  "It seems these passageways are like a maze."  He smirked, helping Duo up. "I think we should head back to the front.  Maybe the others have had better luck."

The group nodded in agreement heading back to where they had started.

"Don't you think it's strange that no soldiers have ambushed us?  I mean Dorothy and Q-man said they were being shot at when they went in here."  Duo asked Heero as the gang circled around the portal room.  It had been a happy reunion seeing Catherine alive and well.  They had also saved another Gatekeeper, which was a bonus.  Although, Trowa had been acting a bit strange considering he had just saved his sister and the other Gatekeeper, Nanashi, seemed to be ready to jump out of her skin.  Duo shrugged, 'Must be the place.  Anything as creepy as this would freak out anybody.'

"The portal's unstable but the Darkness can still seep through it.  We need to close it now."  Dorothy headed towards the Red pillar, as the remaining Councillors went to their respective colours.  The pilots with Catherine and Nanashi stood around the perimeter watching for any signs of soldiers.  Their shield levels were close to being useless, a few more hits and then the bullets would penetrate.  Dorothy stared at the whirlpool that was the portal into the Darkness.  "We need to link, to be able to close the portal!"  She yelled as the portal began to emit a high-pitched sound.  The remaining Councillors held their arms out and their key or code began to glow, a thin line beginning to form, linking them to each other.  The room began to get colder and a wind suddenly picked up but the Councillors stood their ground, their power beginning to grow.  The portal began spewing out more blackness, spreading around the floor.  Dorothy could feel the thoughts of the other Councillors as they channelled their energy into the pillars.

**"You are too weak."**

Dorothy gritted her teeth, snapping her head towards Myra, who was to the left of her.  She had her eyes closed, concentrating all the Green Power into the pillar.  She looked at William on her right.  He was concentrating all the Blue power into his pillar. 'Didn't they hear that voice?'  She closed her eyes willing herself to channel all her energy into the pillar.

**"You are too weak.  Half the power will not stop the Darkness."**

Dorothy snapped her eyes open. The voice was right.  With the powers only having one half of a key or code, they wouldn't have enough power to close the portal using the pillars…except Red…Red had both the key and code.  Dorothy smiled as the realisation dawned on her.  "Channel your power into the portal!"  She screamed, gripping the key tightly as the code twirled around her more brightly.

"What!?" The Councillors chorused.

"Do it!"  She began to inch closer towards the portal as the Councillors threw what was left of their power into the portal causing a wave of colours bouncing everywhere.  She stopped moving closer to the portal and jogged back a few steps, still linked, her arms stretched out.  Then with a yell she ran forward and jumped into the portal.

"NO!"  Quatre ran forward to the portal, which was turning a shade of red and rapidly shrinking.  He ignored all the yelling and launched himself into the shrinking portal.  He landed with a dull thud on the crystalline floor where the portal had been seconds before.  "No…"

         **********************

Person who is on a roll revising these chapters:

Ohmigod!  I've killed Dorothy! Hehe…Wait…I also killed Relena, Bethany and Sylvia…Sheesh when I'm on a roll, I'm on a roll! I'm kidding!  I love these characters!  That's why I put them through hell…^_^ (literally) Some of you might be wondering why I would use such a clichéd plot device like a time machine…Because it's part of another story I'm writing (most probably the SEQUEL to TCoL) R&R, C&C, FLAMES and E-MAIL (setm_29@hotmail.com just in case you didn't know) would be nice, but you don't have to if you don't want to.  (BUT it would be really nice of you to do so, ~_^)


	9. Chapter 7: Things to ponder in the Darkn...

Disclaimer:  Not own GW. Hope everyone enjoys Chapter 7!!!!

Thanks again for everyone who reviewed!!! ESPECIALLY to my beta-reader, ANNE!!! (You deserve a shrine! ^_^)

**THIS IS THE REVISED VERSION!**

The Colours of Life

Chapter 7: Things to ponder in the Darkness

By: J.B. Santiago

- Florence – Real Time –

Hilde looked at her watch.  Her and Sally's hopes had risen when they heard they had found Cathie alive and well but then had lost contact with the gang when they had entered the portal room; all hope being short-lived.  At least it had given them more time to figure out what to say to Heero about Relena.  Bethany had not yet returned and it would be pretty hopeless to believe she would.  The silence between the two in the control room was deafening.  No contact with the gang in Subspace, Bethany and Relena…missing… Hilde suddenly felt the urge to throw up.  She quickly swallowed a few times, glancing at her watch again. Not even a minute had passed.  The enforced silence was just making the two think of very morbid thoughts.  A gust of wind startled Hilde, as she shivered looking in the direction it had come from.  Her eyes nearly popped out when she saw the screen mush together and start to whirl like a hypnotic lollypop.  'I can't get in touch with Duo, Relena and Bethany are gone and now I'm hallucinating.' She thought, vaguely wondering if she would see little green men come up to her with a pot of gold.  She snapped out of the trance the whirling screen had put on her when Sally grabbed her arm, dragging her to the floor as a swivel chair flew past where she had just been by the wind that was turning into a storm.  Then it stopped.  There was no wind and the screen had turned back into its normal form, showing different angles of subspace.  An audible pop was heard in the direction of the screen and two figures appeared out of nowhere.

"AAHHHH!!!" screamed both Relena and Bethany as they tumbled into the control room, landing flat on their backs, sprawled in a most uncomfortable position.

Hilde blinked. 'I am Hallucinating.  I can see Relena and Bethany.'  Insane giggling bubbled out of her as she rocked back and forth tears streaming down her face, her hands holding her aching sides. 'I've gone mad.'

Sally stared at the two people who had intruded on their enforced silence.  Her mouth opened and closed but no sound came out.  She looked like the complete opposite of the person next to her.  Shocked and silent compared to insane and loud.

Bethany slowly picked herself up from her awkward position, leaning heavily on her hands as she peered at Relena who was untangling herself from Bethany.  "What a ride…lets never speak of it again, Miss Relena."

Relena nodded shakily, looking towards where the laughter was coming from, and seeing Hilde laugh crazily, a giggle escaped from her lips.  She crawled over to where Hilde was still laughing disbelievingly and hugged her.  Hilde stopped laughing immediately, tears of relief flooding her when she realised Relena was really there.  

Sally finally broke out of her shock, staring at Relena then at Bethany like it was a tennis match. "So I take it, the machine worked?"  She hugged Bethany who had crawled over as well since standing up on watery legs would have been stupid.  Bethany nodded, tears sparkling in her eyes.  Relena gave Sally a tight hug causing the woman to start crying as much as Hilde was.  The crying and hugging would have gone on forever but Bethany asked the 100 million dollar question.  "How are the others?"

The silence became deafening again, as both Hilde and Sally didn't want to say it.

"Well?  How is everyone?"

Sally finally spoke not directing her gaze at anyone, "They found Catherine and another Gatekeeper…" The two newcomers brightened at this but then Sally continued, "…but we lost contact when they entered the portal room."

Relena looked confused.  She wanted to speak to Heero; she didn't think she would tell him what had just happened to her, not yet anyway, it would only worry him.  "Can't we establish contact with them?"

Bethany shook her head.  "The amount of power going through the portal room short circuits all of our technology.  We wont be able to contact them until they get out of the portal room."  She surveyed the control room, which looked like a tornado had gone through it. 'At least most of the panels look intact.'  She unsteadily got up, walking towards the main panel, typing in a set of complex digits and letters.  A square on the screen opened up.  It didn't show anything but fuzzy lines.  "Nothing.  Not even a heat image."  She shook her head.  "If they've reached the portal room then they've nearly finished the mission.  With two Gatekeepers saved the portal is unstable; it shouldn't be long before the portal is closed and we can contact them again."  She said it with conviction but her companions weren't convinced.

         *********************

  -Subspace – Real Time -

"NO!" Quatre banged his fist against the crystalline floor that had been the portal just moments ago.  He was on his knees, using his fist and the butt of his gun to hit the floor.

"Quatre - " Duo started to reach out towards his comrade but Quatre pushed his hand away.

"NO!  She's not dead, she can't be!"  He continued to smash his fists against the hard floor.

A thud was heard near Wufei who quickly turned around to see a Darkness Soldier fall a few metres away from him.  "What the…?"

"The portal is fully closed.  They're losing the Darkness that kept them alive."  Explained Myra in a whispered tone; she gave a sympathetic glance at Quatre who was ignoring everyone, as blood began to seep from cuts to his knuckles, mingling with his tears.

"No…Dorothy…no…"

         *********************

- Unknown Place – Real Time –

Floating.  She was floating in the dark. She felt disoriented and her mind throbbed in pain.  She was floating.  Why was she floating?  A voice, or a jumble of voices - she couldn't tell – started to speak but she couldn't understand what was being said.  She shook her head her mind just throbbed in pain more.

**"Pathetic."**

It was the same voice she had heard in subspace.  Dorothy opened her mouth to speak but it spoke first.

**"Don't bother.  I can hear all your thoughts."**  It made a sound that Dorothy realised was laughter of some sort.  **"You are now part of the Darkness.  Did you really think sealing the portal would stop me?"**  It laughed again.  **"Your kind is so simple, with all your magic tricks and other useless junk.  You cannot stop the inevitable and I am the INEVITABLE.  Why aren't you dead, you ask?"**  This dark place suddenly felt colder.

Dorothy shuddered.  It was just reading her mind like an open book.

**"Because I will use you.  What do you think was able to break through the portal in the first place?  Your connection to Earth will give me the power to break free again." ** It laughed louder now.

Without thinking Dorothy spoke, "Yes and more people like me will seal you in this place again."  She just said it, considering she couldn't see anything.  If there was one thing Dorothy knew how to do, it was to annoy the hell out of someone.

The place dropped a few more degrees.  **"So naïve, like the first one.  How curious that you would both belong to Red.  Darkness will spread through Earth.  I now rest in every human being, and I will make them throw away their lives…like you."**  A whirlpool of shimmering silver appeared, blinding Dorothy slightly since she had gotten used to looking at the dark; leaving an image of a young woman with long flowing blond hair, ghostly pale skin and blood red eyes.  **"Just like you…"**

Dorothy stared at the image talking to her.  She suddenly felt terrified and safe all in one instant.  'The Darkness…?'

The image laughed. **"No, no, I am not the Darkness.  The Darkness is all around us.  Inside of you, inside of your family and friends, inside of…Quatre" **She caressed his name, and Dorothy tensed involuntarily trying to clear her mind but to no avail.  The woman laughed again.  **"I thought you would be more comfortable if you spoke to a being and not just the Dark.  You cannot hide anything from me in here."**

"What are you going to do to me?"  Dorothy stared defiantly at the woman, her blue-grey eyes not betraying the fear she felt.

The woman's face twisted into an evil smile.  **"I wont do anything to you; you will serve the Darkness willingly."**

"You're crazy!  I might have done certain things in the past but I will NEVER serve the Darkness."  She retorted still as defiant as ever considering she was still floating in nothingness.

The woman smile just got wider, with her blood red eyes she reminded Dorothy of a wild cat.  **"I was like you…I only found out the truth when the Darkness showed me the way." ** She motioned with one hand and a shimmering pool of blue liquid appeared.  **"The Darkness showed me the truth and now I will show you as well."**  The blue liquid cleared, showing Quatre.  Dorothy's eyes widened.  **"This is happening now."**

She could see Quatre wearing dark slacks, a long sleeved shirt and no vest.  He was laughing and smiling at someone Dorothy couldn't see.  She blinked back the tears, glaring at the woman.  "This is supposed to change my mind?  He's happy and it's because the world is free from the Darkness.  This just strengthens my - " she abruptly stopped when she hear someone else laugh.  She knew that laugh.  Turning back to the pool she saw Bethany giggling and smiling wearing a light green summer dress.  Dorothy felt relief, 'She's ok.'  Bethany was one of the last of her family and she was happy she was happy.  She smirked at the woman.  "This just strengthens my resolve."

The woman smirked back and pointed back to the pool.  Dorothy gave her a sideways glance before looking at the pool again.  Blood drained from her face as she saw Quatre kiss Bethany and not a friendly peck on the cheek but a kiss that wouldn't be accepted on Jerry Springer.  Dorothy closed her eyes and shook her head; the pain in her head, which had subsided to a dull throb, began to drum with vigour again.  She opened her eyes and stared at the pool.  Her eyes weren't deceiving her… 'Oh God…How could they do this to her?'

"No… That's not true!"

The woman laughed at Dorothy's disbelieving expression. **"He was tired of you pushing him away…She didn't push him away."**  She smirked at Dorothy who couldn't drag her eyes away from the sight in front of her.  **"You are nothing but a distant, faraway memory.  Not even that, really.  Don't they make such a lovely couple?"**  The woman shimmered away and reappeared behind Dorothy**.  "Now you know why the Darkness should break free…Humans only care about themselves.  They should pay for doing this to you."**  The last part was whispered in Dorothy's ear and she twitched slightly, regaining what little composure she had left and spun around to face the image.

"I'm happy for them."

The woman seemed to recoil from the statement but she regained her footing and gave Dorothy a glare.  **"You can't lie to me.  I told you, I can see all your thoughts."**

"True, right now I might not be happy for them but later, when I think about it, it makes sense.  They are a lovely couple."  Dorothy watched as the image became confused and vanished along with the shimmering pool, plunging Dorothy into darkness again.  

**"You're a good liar but you will help me out of here and you will help me willingly."**  The voice was still superior sounding.

Dorothy closed her eyes.  'You can read my thoughts?  Well read this!'  She thought of everything she could remember.  All the joy, all the sadness, all the ups and downs, everyone she had despised…everyone she had ever loved.  She thought of Quatre.  A heaviness developed in her hand and she realised she was holding the Red key.  She opened her eyes and saw the Red code shining a bright red, spinning around her.  A red glow formed at the middle of her heart, spreading all over her until she shone brightly against the dark. 

The Darkness laughed.  "Even with the full power of the Red key and code you cannot possibly beat me."

Dorothy's eyes shone a bright red.  She didn't speak, just thinking it in her mind, 'But I know what will…'  

         ************************

- Subspace – Real Time -

More Darkness Soldiers dropped dead around the portal room but Quatre didn't notice, he didn't care. He placed a bloodstained hand on the crystalline floor. 'Dorothy…' A pain shot through him and he grabbed his chest, doubling over. "Argh!"

Trowa ran over to his side.  "Quatre, are you ok?"

Quatre looked up, pain evident in his eyes. "It's-it's Dorothy."  He clashed his chest and doubled over again.

"What?!" Duo tried to help Quatre up but he pushed him away again.  "She's alive!  I can feel her…" Her thoughts were becoming his thoughts…

Wufei gave a look to Trowa.  Trowa turned back to Quatre, "Quatre, come on, we need to get out of this place."  

"No!  Listen to me, you guys!  She's alive!" He pushed Trowa away as well, holding his chest with one hand, using the other to point at the Councillors.  "Throw the keys and codes at the portal."

Everyone in the room watched Quatre like he was a lunatic.  Alessio said snidely, "What portal?  It's closed!  She's dead!"

Quatre developed a mad twinge in his eyes.  "Throw them at the portal now."  He pointed to the spot next to him.  "Throw it!"

Duo tried again to help his friend.  "Come on Q-man - "

"No Duo!  She's alive, I can FEEL it!" he turned to the Councillors, "Throw the goddamn keys and codes!"

Heero stepped forward.  "Do it."  He glared at them. If this would stop Quatre's madness then so be it.

The Councillors, not wanting to anger the Perfect Soldier, took out their respective key and code and placed them on the floor next to Quatre.  Nothing happened.  Quatre stared intensely at the items.  

Wufei shook his head angrily. "Quatre, nothing is going to hap - "

The keys and codes sunk into the floor, disappearing without a trace.  The floor began to glow a dull red.

         **************************

  - Unknown Place – Real Time -

Dorothy smiled.  'Thank you, Quatre.'  The other keys and codes begun to spin around her.  The codes had begun to form the ancient inscription.  The keys had become a blur as they spun around her, their colours mixing together to form an iridescent image.

**"What?  How did all…"** Then the voice was silent.

Then the keys stopped spinning, revealing a long claymore-like sword, that glowed gold, then black, to blue, then green to finally settling on red.  Dorothy grabbed onto the handle with both hands and the code transferred its spinning from her onto the sword.  Then she saw it.  The inscription finally forming into the inscription used by the Ancients to create Joir.

LIGHT 

Dorothy murmured, "LIGHT."  The gold code began to spread light everywhere through the sword Dorothy was holding on to.

Tav DARK 

"and DARK" The Black code followed the Gold code.

Winbe.  WATER il 

"merges.  WATER will" They merged together to form an exotic pattern.  The Blue code flowed around Dorothy, showering the place blue.

Jinas whi EARTH tav 

"Join the EARTH and" The Green code joined with the blue, forming another intricate pattern.

**_Ensem ka il pae LIFE._**

"Together there will be LIFE." Dorothy's eyes turned back to their normal grey-blue as blood red spilled out of the sword.

Dorothy gripped onto the handle of the sword as the voices of Darkness screamed as colour began to spring everywhere.  Shades of blues, greens, gold, red; every colour imaginable covered the Darkness.  Dorothy could feel her grip loosen; she was going to collapse from this outpouring of magical power.  She tried to hold on, as the Darkness screamed, fighting back but it was useless.  

Then she saw it.  The world of Joir.  The world created by her ancestors.  The sky a mix of blues, oranges and yellows as the sun peeked over the towering, forest filled, ice-topped mountains.  The sun's rays glistened in the streams of clear water.  Utopia.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" A voice spoke behind her.  Facing the speaker, still gripping onto the sword, she saw the woman who had tormented her with those images.  The woman turned away from Dorothy, staring sadly at the beautiful sight.  "It's been so long, since I was here…I miss it so much…I miss everyone…" the woman whispered.  She shook her head, getting out of the trance the place seemed to put on her.  She stared at Dorothy, her red eyes blazing not with hatred but sadness.  "It was my fault the Darkness survived.  Using me as a link to Earth to keep it alive.  I let it use me.  I let it because I was jealous, because I was too selfish to realise what I had to do."  She reached out slowly towards Dorothy, her hand shaking considerably.  Her fingertips touched the red aura that surrounded Dorothy and she smiled, her face brightening slightly.  "You carry a part of Lavirea…" The woman began to walk away from Dorothy, saying softly, "I'm going home…"

Then Dorothy was back in the Darkness; with Colours still shooting out of the sword she held.  Her grip loosened again and before she lost consciousness, Dorothy thought she heard a voice whisper, "Thank You."

The place exploded into colour.

         *************************

   - Subspace – Real Time -

"What the hell is going on?!"  Wufei shouted as different colours shot out from the floor lighting up the portal room.  

"Everyone take cover!"

"Quatre!  Get out of there!"  Duo yelled at Quatre who was standing in the middle of the portal room, the others taking shelter behind the pillars.  Quatre paid no attention as he stared up at the ceiling watching the colours bounce around flying every which way.  A figure was beginning to form as the colours melded into each other.  "Oh my God…" Duo watched as the colours created the still form of Dorothy Catalonia, a few metres above the ground.  

Quatre caught her as she fell slowly from above.  "Dorothy, Dorothy…" He cradled her carefully.  "We need to get her out of here!"  He yelled at everyone.  

"Finally!  A good idea!"  Duo motioned to the Councillors to move out, as Trowa walked Catherine and Nanashi out, the remaining pilots giving the place one last look before following.

"Hello? Bethany, hello? Can you read me?"  Heero tapped his mic.

"Heero!  You're ok!"  Came back a voice he knew very well.

"Relena?! What are you doing there?"

"Never mind about that now, Heero.  I can hear you loud and clear.  Mission complete I take it?  Can I talk to Dorothy?" Bethany said, firing questions through the mic.

Heero glanced at Dorothy who was being carefully carried by Quatre.  "Dorothy is unconscious, she needs medical attention; so does Catherine and the other Gatekeeper.  What's the quickest way out of here?"

         *********************

The Man watched at the portal room continued to explode into different shades of colour. 'NO!  This wasn't happening.  NO!'  The madness in his eyes heightened when he saw that woman formed from all those colours.  "I'll kill you, I'll kill you."  He hissed taking out a M-16 and stalking towards the group.  'I'll kill you.'

         *********************

The gang were now outside the fortress, in front of the gates where they had placed the security program in.  All over the place were bodies of Darkness Soldiers who simply keeled over when the portal closed.  

"Ok, you see the program that opened the doors?"  Bethany asked, watching the screen which showed ten red dots all in one point.

Heero 'hn-ed', waiting for further instructions.

"Ok, I need you to link a few wires…" The conversation continued in this fashion, Heero pressing, pulling, and turning buttons, switches and wires.

"How long to go?"  Quatre asked; he was leaning against the doors, still carrying Dorothy's still form.

"None."  Heero answered as the transportation link formed.  "One at a time.  You go first Quat - " The sudden gunfire broke everyone out of their tiredness as they ducked the bullets.

"Aren't they supposed to be all dead?!" yelled Duo, firing the fire gun in the direction of the bullets.  Heero saw who was shooting.  A man; on one of the towers aiming all his shots at Dorothy.  He took out the gun he carried everywhere and aimed and fired.  The man crumpled to the floor but the gun kept firing. Heero yelled, "Get everyone into the link now!" 

Trowa was pushing people through the transportation link.  Quatre was running towards the link when a bullet penetrated his shield, hitting him in the leg. Quatre used his body to shield Dorothy as the shield began to fail.  He tried to get up but a bullet hit his shoulder and he bit down the scream.  Another shot entered his chest, puncturing his lung. 

"Q-Quatre?" Dorothy said groggily.

Forgetting the pain for a moment, Quatre gazed into her half-lidded eyes.  He saw them widen as she felt his blood soak her hands.  The pain came back just as Wufei and Duo grabbed both of them and jumped through the link.  Heero the last to go in just as his shield began to fail.

         *********************

Person who is certain to get FLAMED now:

If anyone notices ANY spelling, punctuation errors please tell me, so I can fix them (hopefully you'll find none, since I just revised this!)

Ohmigod!  We've reached the end…of Chapter 7! Hehe…sorry! The next chapter is the EPILOGUE! (yah! So close to being finished!!)… hmmm….it seems when I'm on a roll, I'm on a roll!  First Relena gets killed, then Sylvia, then Bethany, then Dorothy, now Quatre!  (Maybe one of them will stay dead ^_^ Anyone think a deathfic is a good epilogue?) PLEASE R&R, C&C, flames are nice (cold weather and were supposedly in summer).

Thanks again for all the reviews, and to Anne ^_^ you're all the BEST!!!


	10. Epilogue: The End

Disclaimer: For the LAST time on TCoL, I don't own GW!  "This is the end, of Aquarius, the end of…" SHEESH…where the HELL did THAT come from!?! This chapter is DEDICATED to everyone who has read and reviewed, and this WHOLE SERIES is dedicated to my little sister, J.A. who wants me to do a sequel to 'Dedicated to Maree'. (Not on your life! …ok, maybe)  Anyway, This is the final chapter of TCoL! I think ten chapters is a nice even number. Well stop reading the disclaimer, now! ^_^

**THIS IS THE REVISED VERSION!**

The Colours of Life

Epilogue: The End

By: J.B. Santiago

  - Somewhere in Europe, Earth – Real Time -

The private jet landed right on the large 'X' on the ground.  The landing pad was surrounded by large stone pillars its architectural style reminiscent of ancient Greece.  "Has the Council assembled?" Asked William as he and the other Councillors stepped off the jet.

The woman looked at the ragged appearances of the four. 'Seven were sent, four came back.' Nodding her head and giving a sympathetic glance at all of them, "Yes, all of them are here except those of the Red Council.  I'm assuming there isn't any of them left?"

Alessio shook his head, angrily.  "We are not that lucky. Bu - "

"Don't start, Alessio.  Dorothy and Bethany are still in Florence, they opted to go to the hospital where their friends are being treated."  William replied, motioning for the woman to lead the way to the Great Hall.  The woman crisply walked past the pillars, leading the Councillors through a series of passages before they reached two gigantic doors.  

"Here we are, ladies and gentlemen."  She said feigning boredom.

"Thank you, Julia."  William bowed slightly, as the others entered the Great Hall; he closed the doors softly, missing the sardonic expression Julia gave them as she stood on the outside.

"Hello.  Son."  A voice thundered, in the semi-lit hall.  It looked very similar to the Hall Romefeller met in, except the stage held five high-backed chairs, behind a long table; only one chair not having someone sitting in it.

"Father," replied Alessio, his voice angry, "the Red used us!  Mario is dead because of the Red! That whor - "

"Only the Black Council would blame the person who saved the world!" retorted Veronica.

"How can you stand up for that, that butana?! Giuseppi is dead because of her!"

A loud 'bang' was heard and the four turned towards who did it.  An old man, with greying hair and tanned skin, put down the walking stick he had just hit across the table.  "Enough!  This is not the time to argue.  Just tell us what happened."

Myra taking this opportunity, spoke up, "Dorothy jumped into the portal and it closed.  We thought that was it.  We had won but then one of the Gundam pilots told us to throw the keys and codes into the closed portal.  They ended up sinking into the portal."  She paused, but the four people sitting in the chairs just stared silently at her so she continued, "Then all these colours started shooting out everywhere and some of them began to join together and it turned into Dorothy.  She was alive but unconscious.  The keys and codes didn't reappear though."  She finished, looking at the four.  Her eyes tried to search for some feeling in her grandmother's face but saw none.

The head of Blue Council nodded.  "That will be all.  Julia will escort you to your rooms, please get some rest."  He gestured to the door.

"But Uncle, how about Sylvia? Or Giuseppi and Mario?  How are you going to - "

"Already taken care of.  Don't worry.  You are excused."  He interrupted in a more authoritative tone.

Before another word was said a loud "GO!" was heard from the head of Black Council and even Alessio wisely left the Hall quickly.

The head of Green turned towards the three men seated next to her as the doors softly shut.  "The Darkness has been vanquished, for good it seems…"

"Do you think Red has done it?  If Dorothy truly defeated the Darkness and lived…She will be a greater enemy to us."  The head of Black grumbled.  "We must eliminate her now before the power manifests itself and she becomes too powerful to kill."

"How do you know she will be a threat?  If she has regained the powers of old, then isn't it plausible that we will regain the old powers as well?"

The head of Gold tapped his walking stick thoughtfully against his chin.  "Our monitors have shown that Subspace is becoming heavily flooded with magical energy… If we can tap into it then the old powers may resurface…"

"To be rid of these pathetic human bodies…Dorothy doesn't know about this, does she?"  Three heads shook their heads.  The head of Blue smiled, greedily, "I assume she hasn't been told all of the Ancients scriptures.  Good.  The longer she is kept in the dark, the more time we have before her powers begin to reveal themselves…Send a team into Subspace, we'll start now."

"No doubt, Red will be monitoring Subspace.  Place a Cloak on the team.  If Red is monitoring Subspace, they'll be doing it on a weaker signal – probably laptop.  A Cloak will hide any of our…investigating."

The four nodded to each other, all their eyes hinting at greed.  Soon…soon, if everything went as planned, they would be powerful enough to rule the world.

         ******************************

  - Florence, Earth – Real Time -

What a sorry bunch they made.  Not that she was expecting them to look all happy and cheerful considering where they were and WHY they were here.  Bethany shifted the slight weight of the laptop from one leg to the other.  She had brought it to monitor Subspace.  Just in case any 'residue' from this battle managed to escape.  She watched the radar picking up nothing.  The other Councillors had gone their separate ways.  They would report back to the Council.  Bethany stole a glance at her cousin.  Dorothy was sitting next to her, in those awful plastic chairs in a drab hospital waiting room.  Bethany noted how Dorothy hadn't moved from the position she was in since the hospital staff told them to take a seat.  She was leaning slightly forward on the balls of her palms, as if ready to pounce, her eyes distant as she stared straight ahead, not really looking at anything.  She didn't seem to hear anything, or realise if anything was happening around her.  'Completely ignored me, when I told her to wash the dried blood on her hands.'  Bethany sighed inwardly, looking at the only decorative item in the room – a pot plant that needed about a month's worth of water.  Standing beside it was Wufei, studying the floor while Sally seemed to be trying to find exactly the same thing Wufei was studying.  Duo and Hilde sat close together, hugging each other, Duo occasionally kissing her hair.  Heero had a firm grip on Relena who had her eyes tightly closed.  Bethany quickly averted her eyes away from Relena, as the events that had transpired when they had jumped into the 'time wall' came rushing back.  Gulping back the bile threatening to rise in her throat she stared intently at the screen again.  The only people not there were the two gatekeepers, Catherine and Nanashi, who were being treated for trauma and malnutrition; and Trowa was with his sister, not letting her out of his sight.  They were situated a floor below the rest of the gang, who were waiting outside the operating room where surgeons were currently trying to save Quatre.

"Excuse me, I'm Doctor Rossi.  Are you the people who brought a Mr Quatre Winner, here?"  A tall, slightly tanned man in surgeons scrubs said.

Bethany answered for the group, "Yes we did.  How is he, Doctor?"

"The first bullet singed his right leg; just minor bleeding.  The second bullet, punctured his left shoulder, missing any important nerves but the third one punctured his left lung, narrowly missing his heart but it has caused massive internal bleeding and his lung is flooding with blood.  We're doing the best we can but his blood type is rare and he is going to need blood transfusions.  Do any of his relatives live close by?" said Dr Rossi.

Everyone looked at each other.  Duo said, "His sisters all live on the Colonies.  We don't know if any are here."

The Doctor nodded grimly.  "Do any of you have the blood type Rh negative?"

The room was silent as everyone shook their heads.  

"I have that."  Everyone turned to look at Dorothy.

Bethany stood up suddenly almost breaking her laptop.  "What?!"

Dorothy repeated, "I have that."

The doctor looked at her quizzically.  "Are you sure?"

"Yes, check my medical records."  Dorothy said calmly.

Dr Rossi nodded.  "Ok.  Come this way please and I'll have the staff check your records and then if everything's correct, we'll start the blood transfusion right away."  He began to walk towards the swinging doors.

Everyone watched as he disappeared into the next corridor.  Dorothy turned to Bethany.  "Change my records, Bethany."  

"What?!  Are you crazy!? We can't give blood!"  Bethany stared at her cousin incredulously.

"Why not?" Asked Hilde.  "Doesn't your blood contain healing properties?  That would save Quatre, right?  Besides if your blood type is a match…"

"Our blood type is compatible with any other blood type! … Yes, it might save him BUT our blood doesn't generate as quickly as normal humans do.  Blood loss of about a litre in a normal human would take about a week to generate, for us about a month and a half to 2 months.  In that time we'd be as weak as a person with no immune system."  Bethany glared at her cousin. "Do you know how much they'll take from you?  Enough to keep you wheelchair bound for God knows how long!"

Dorothy glared back at her, shoving her hands in front of Bethany's face.  "See this!?  I have his blood on MY hands.  CHANGE. MY. RECORDS."  Dorothy stalked towards the swinging doors, disappearing into the next corridor.

Bethany just stared at the doors still swinging from the force Dorothy had pushed them with.  "Argh!  Ma va funculo!"  She sat down hard, and started to type furiously on her laptop. 

"Signorina, your first and last names, please."  Asked the nurse at the staff desk.

"Dorothy, D-O-R-O-T-H-Y.  Catalonia.  C-A-T-E-L-O-N-I-A."  She replied watching the woman type in the information.

"I'm sorry, signorina but I can't seem to find your records.  I'll go check again."

Dorothy nodded, watching the wall clock tick away the seconds. 

"I'm sorry but your name isn't in the medical database."  The woman said apologetically. 

Dorothy feigned worry and asked, "Can I see?"

The woman kindly complied; moving the computer screen so Dorothy could view it as well.  "Oh!  You've spelt my surname wrong.  It's 

A not E."

The nurse looked at the screen, "You said E."

Dorothy shook her head.  "It's been a trying day."  The nurse nodded smiling and changed the misspelled name.

"Hmm…it seems to be coming up in pieces.  Sorry, to make you wait so long."  

Dorothy just nodded, watching the clock tick.

"Oh!  Here it is.  I'll page Dr Rossi and tell him that your blood type is a match."  The nurse pressed in the doctor's pager number.

'Thank you, Bethany.'  Dorothy thought as Dr Rossi escorted her to the operating room for the blood transfusion. 

         **************************

Trowa watched as Catherine, slowly breathed in and out.  She had been examined and would be fine, getting away with only minor bruising.  Trowa knew psychologically, she would be scarred for life but he would be damned if anything happened to her again.  He held her soft hand, carefully rubbing it affectionately before bringing it up to his face, kissing the back of her hand.  "I'm sorry I didn't protect you, Cathie.  Next time…there won't be a next time."  He whispered to her sleeping form.  Carefully putting her hand back down to her side, he stood up quietly, leaning over her, pushing the stray hairs away from her face before lightly kissing her forehead.  She shifted slightly towards him, her eyes fluttering open.

"Trowa?" she murmured, still half asleep.  "Check on Nanashi, for me, ok?  She needs a friend."  Then she closed her eyes fully, lying on her side now, asleep once more.

Trowa raised an eyebrow. 'Even with everything that's happened she still has a heart big enough, to care for people she hardly knows.'  He frowned when he thought of whom she had just asked to check on.  'Midii…' He lifted the sheets closer to Catherine's shoulders. 'I think I will check on…Nanashi.'  Walking out of the hospital room, he entered the room opposite.  A slight breeze greeted him from the open window.  He saw a figure deftly climb out onto the fire escape.  Racing to the window he roughly grabbed the person's arm just as they were about to slide down the railing.  Grey eyes met flashing emerald ones.

"What do you think you're doing…Midii?"  Trowa asked in a low voice, still keeping a keen grip on the escapee.

The figure lowered her gaze, her voice a soft whisper, almost breezy like the wind. "Please…I - let me go, Nanashi…Trowa.  I need to go."  Then she gazed back up into those emerald eyes, her grey orbs filled with tears.

Trowa blinked trying to figure out what to say, not loosening his grip.  "Catherine told me to check on you.  She said you needed a friend."  He didn't know why he had said that but it was the only thing that was coming up in his mind, her eyes filled with tears was making him feel…confused.

Midii felt her tears roll down her cheeks.  She hadn't been expecting that reply.  She wanted to get the hell away from him.  Years of believing he was dead because of her and now here he was, alive and incredibly well.  After years of blaming herself - years of hating herself for what she had done, for what she was.  Midii wanted to get the hell away from him.  He had changed his life around.  He wasn't a mercenary anymore; he had a loving sister and friends that cared for him.  While she was still what she was all those years ago.  She would have laughed and told them they were nuts if someone had told her she would be saved by Nanashi from an evil magical force intent on destroying Earth.  "I – I don't need a friend.  I need you to let go off me.  I have to leave this place."  

Trowa felt her shake slightly, as the wind picked up.  "You should stay.  You're still weak.  Cathie would want you to stay."  He stared at her tears and used his free hand to softly wipe them away.  "I think it would be best if you stayed." He added, whispering.

Midii felt hot and cold all of a sudden when he touched her face.  She recoiled as far away as she could since he still had a strong grip on her arm.  She shook her head.  Tears streaming down her face once more.  "Please – please.  I can't handle this now.  I have to go."

Trowa's eyes widened, as he let go of the weeping woman.  He nodded his head.  "Then go.  If you think that's best."  His voice was at its indifferent best.

Midii brushed away the tears from her face, nodding then slid down the railing, running away from Nanashi – Trowa as fast as humanly possible.  Nearing the third floor she heard Trowa yell, "Cathie and I work at the Circus.  Cathie would want you to visit."

She stared up at the fire escape, Trowa's outline could be seen from the lights around the hospital but she couldn't make out his eyes. She nodded, knowing he could see her and then continued to go down.

Trowa watched her reach the ground floor and run into the night.  He didn't know why he had said that.  Shaking his head, he went back into Catherine's room, kissing her again before softly shutting her door and heading to the floor the others were on. He needed to figure some things out. 'I think I'll take the stairs.'

         ************************

"You know what I don't get, why that man was still alive even with the Darkness gone."  Duo wanted to fill in the silence that had once again descended on the group when Dorothy left.  

Bethany looked up at her screen, her face still lined with anger at her cousin.  "I didn't mention it?"

Duo shook his head.  "No you didn't mention it."

"Oh.  It's because that man was a willing disciple of the Darkness.  The Darkness needed at least one human being who willingly followed it.  My knowledge on these types of people is sketchy at best, but the Darkness probably spoke through this man, ordering the soldiers around.  Kind of like the second in command, I guess."  Bethany glanced at the doors Dorothy had gone through before turning back to Duo.  She gave him a small smile.  He nodded, smiling back.  Silence once again descended on the group.  He couldn't take anymore of this.  He gently pushed Hilde away from him, facing her.  "I'm going to go get something to drink, do you want anything?"  

She shook her head.  "Does anyone want anything?"  He asked the rest of the group.  Bethany and Sally shook their heads while Wufei didn't move at all.  Heero shook his head, trying not to move Relena who looked like she had fallen asleep.  Duo nodded and headed towards the elevator. He reached the third floor of the hospital, where the main cafeteria was situated. The place was closed since it was a little past 2 in the morning.  The time displacement from being in Subspace was a little off putting.  He had just spent close to three days in Subspace but it was barely a day in 'normal time'.  His body screamed for sleep but he didn't want to dream of what had happened.  He kept seeing Quatre fall as bullets ripped into his body.

Duo turned on the TV near the coffee machine.  A news bulletin came up…

"Reporting live, off the coast of Corsica, where the remains of a luxury yacht is being dragged in, having collided with a freight liner and exploding on impact…We've just gotten word on who's yacht it was…Phil, the yacht you see being dragged in belonged to Sylvia Noventa.  It seems she and two male companions went for a boating trip late this afternoon and lost contact with the coast guards - " Duo turned off the TV. He shook his head. 'Damn, those Council people work fast.'  Walking to the coffee machine, he stared at the coffee machine.  "Decaf, Coffee, Hot Chocolate…"

"You always get Hot Chocolate, Duo."  Hilde hugged her husband, her arms wrapping around his midsection, resting on his chest.

Duo moved around to hug his wife back.  He smiled wearily at her. "I know but I don't want to hurt the other selection's feelings.  Couldn't keep away from me, huh?"  He gave her a light kiss on her forehead, before kissing her nose and then giving her a longer kiss on the mouth.  "I love you, Hilde."  He whispered hugging her closely to him after they broke apart.

Hilde laid her head on his chest, "I love you too, Duo."

"Happy Wedding Anniversary, Hilde."  

Hilde paused in her breathing.  Then she broke out into raucous laughter.  After everything that had happened, SHE had forgotten and HE had remembered.  She kept on laughing, a grin breaking out on Duo's face before he started laughing too.  After a few moments they settled down and Hilde tugged on his braid playfully.  "Thank you, Duo.  I needed that.  We both needed that."  She rested her head on his chest again as they slowly moved to music only they could hear.  Duo stopped shuffling suddenly and Hilde looked into his eyes expectantly. He rummaged through his pockets until he found what he was looking for.  He took out a small jewellery box.

"I've been carrying this around everywhere.  I wanted to give it to you at the perfect moment…well this is close enough."  He opened it in front of her to reveal a pair of heart shaped, sapphire earrings with a small diamond in the centre, set in 18ct gold.  He stared at her with his beautiful blue eyes, waiting for her approval like a puppy dog.

Hilde gasped at the gift.  'He really went all out.'  She gazed at him, reaching out for the jewellery box and placing it on the table beside them before wrapping her arms around her husband and giving him one very heartfelt kiss.  As they broke apart to breath, he said, "So, I guess you like it."  She gave him a light 'whap' on the head before continuing their tongue war.

"Does it usually take this long for them to take blood?"  Bethany asked Sally, her face beginning to show signs of worry.

Sally blinked, her concentration broken.  She looked up at Bethany's face and tried to look reassuring.  "It does take awhile, Bethany.  Don't worry, I'm sure Dorothy's fine."  Sally tried to find the spot on the floor she had been concentrating on.  She thought she saw a bullet roll on the floor.  Blinking a few times, the bullet disappeared.  'Great, now I'm seeing things.'  She got up, walking towards the staff desk.  "I'll go see what's going on."  She said over her shoulder to the others.  No one acknowledged her except Wufei who began to follow her.

Turning a corner she leaned against the wall, the staff desk metres away from her.  She slid down the wall until her chin was level with her knees.  She placed her hands over her face, blocking out the florescent light.  This whole ordeal was too much.  They had lost so many people.  They had lost Relena…but Bethany had gotten her back but she had this haunted look to her now.  There had been a silent pact not to say a word to the others but she didn't know how long that would last.  Now Quatre was lying on an operating table, fighting for his life while Dorothy was doing something that could jeopardize her life to save his.  Sally felt a tear trickle down her face.  She quickly wiped it away, not noticing a figure standing beside her.

"You know, the seats aren't that bad."  Wufei stared down at her before sitting next to her on the floor.  "But the floor is comfortable.  Beats standing up."  He didn't look at her, staring straight ahead.

"Wufei…I'm glad you're ok."  Sally looked at his profile, trying to find any change in his posture.

He looked back at her.  "Are you ok, Sally?"  He asked sincerely.

Sally hid her surprise well.  "I will be.  I just need to…I don't know what I need but I will be ok."  She said more confidently then she felt.

"I'm here if you need anything."  He said kindly.  "If you want I'll even dress up in that purple dinosaur suit; I know how much that made you laugh."

Sally couldn't hide her surprise anymore.  "Ok, what have you done with the real Wufei Chang?"  She pretended to search his face, giving his hair a tug, "This is a wig, isn't it?  Where'd you put him, you impostor!?"  She said playfully, a smile returning to her face.

Wufei smiled back.  "The real Wufei Chang is currently indisposed at the moment.  He is trying to figure out where justice is at moments like these."  His face darkened slightly.  His obsidian eyes watching her pale blue ones.  "Sally…"  

They both leaned forward slightly, their eyes half-lidded as they reached out to kiss each other.

"Sally, what'd they – Oh! Oops!  Sorry I, ugh - " Bethany stuttered out, as she saw Wufei and Sally quickly stand up, avoiding each other's gazes.  "I think I'll just go back to the waiting room.  Uh, see ya!"  With that Bethany hurried back to the waiting room, leaving the Sally and Wufei just standing there.

They glanced at each other, quickly looking away.  'Oh for crying out loud, Sally!  You're a grown woman!'  Sally steeled her nerves and grabbed Wufei's head, planting a not-so-friendly kiss on his mouth.  He seemed to object for a few moments but then responded in kind.  Letting go of his head and placing her arms around him as he placed his arms around her waist, they placed all the words they wanted to say to each other in that kiss.  Stopping to breath, Sally smiled wickedly, "Would you really wear that dinosaur costume, for my benefit?"

Wufei nodded, dazed, not noticing the evil gleam in Sally's eyes.

"I'll remember that for future reference."  She said, leaning in to kiss him again.

Relena woke up with a start.  'All those images…'

"What's wrong, Relena?"

Relena faced the gentle voice.  Heero's Prussian blue eyes, gazed at her with such intensity she had to look away.  She couldn't lie looking into those eyes.  "Nothing, Heero.  Just a bad dream."  She looked around the empty waiting room.  "Where is everyone?" she said just as Bethany came back, her face a little flushed.  Their eyes locked onto each other's and Relena suddenly didn't want to be in this room anymore.  "Heero I think I need some fresh air.  Walk with me outside, ok?"

Heero nodded and they headed towards the elevators, leaving Bethany alone in the waiting room.

Relena breathed in deeply, once they got outside.  The wind was picking up slightly and Heero hugged Relena as they walked around the perimeter of the hospital. She always felt safe in his arms but now it didn't make her feel safe.  It just reminded her of what she would have lost if she had died.  No, if she had stayed dead.  She couldn't keep this from him but what was she going to say?  That she shouldn't be here, but thanks to Bethany she was?  She silently thanked God that that infernal machine had exploded in that 'time limbo'.  A machine that powerful, that terrible, wasn't supposed to exist.  'Rather hypocritical of you, isn't it Relena?'  She thought bitterly.  That machine had saved her but in that 'time limbo' when they had jumped into that image…

Heero felt Relena tense.  Gently moving her around to face him, his arms still hugging her, he asked "What's wrong, Relena?"  Relena tried to avoid eye contact but Heero just softly held her face with his hands.  "Tell me."

She stared at him, her resolve breaking down until she closed her eyes and whispered, "I died, Heero."

Heero's eyes widened.  "What?  Relena you're not making sense."

Relena shook off his hands and stared directly into his eyes.  "No, I'm telling you the truth, Heero.  I died and Bethany went back in time and took me before I could get killed."

Heero continued to stare at her.  "You didn't fly out here?  Bethany took you from the past to bring you into the present?"  He just stared at her, his voice not changing at all.

She nodded.  "The time machine malfunctioned and we ended up in a 'time limbo'.  I saw entire pasts flash before me.  I could have entered any one of them and changed the future.  I could have saved my father.  I could have stopped my biological parents from getting killed.  I could have stopped so many terrible things from happening…but I didn't.  It was bad enough that I was alive.  Heero, me being alive has changed the future…" She began to cry, all her worries in the form of tears.  

Heero swept her up in his arms. "For the better, Relena.  For the better."  He cooed in her ears grabbing tightly onto her. 'His Relena had died…'

"How do you know that?!  Heero - " She was silenced as Heero kissed her.  He kissed her face all over, kissing away the tears.

"You make my world better, Relena.  You've just been given an extraordinary gift - life, Relena, life.  A life I want to spend with you forever."  He kissed her again.  He would show her how much she meant to him, to their friends, to the world.

         ***************************

Trowa entered the waiting room, expecting everyone to be there.  The only one there was Bethany and she looked either flushed or angry, probably both.  She saw him enter with a questioning look on his face and said, "Dorothy's giving blood, Duo and Hilde are having coffee, Sally and Wufei are asking the staff questions and Heero and Relena went outside for a walk.  How's your sister and the other Gatekeeper?"  

Trowa gave her an odd look, before speaking, "Cathie's asleep and Nanashi…left.  I came up here to check on Quatre.  How is he?"

"I have no idea, but he'll survive, his chances increased greatly when Dorothy decided to give blood."  She said this angrily.

"Hey Trowa!  How's Cathie?"  Trowa turned around to see Duo and Hilde, Duo his arm around Hilde's shoulders.

"Better.  She's asleep."

"That's good to hear.  How is that other girl?" Asked Sally as she and Wufei walked back into the waiting room.

Before he could answer, another voice spoke up,  "Cathie's ok?  That's great to hear."  

Trowa saw Relena and Heero walk hand in hand, to where they were sitting before. Relena seemed to have brightened a little bit. 'Only person missing is Dorothy.'  He thought before answering Sally's question.  "Nanashi left.  She – she didn't like hospitals."

"Rather rude.  Didn't even stay long enough to thank everyone."  Huffed Bethany.

"She doesn't like hospitals.  What can you do?"   Everyone looked at the swinging doors where Dorothy stood.  She walked slowly toward the seat she had sat on before, leaning heavily when she got there.

"How much blood did they take, Dory?"  Bethany asked anxiously.

"Hmm…?"  Dorothy's eyes seemed glazed over.  "How much…?  A lot…yes a lot…I feel…" She didn't finish as she slumped over, having fainted.

**************************

Dr Macini carefully began to stitch up the young man's chest.  The internal bleeding and blood flooding had been stopped and the young man was getting blood pumped back into him.  It had been a blessing to find out that woman had the same blood type.  Dr Macini absentmindedly wondered how this young man had gotten the bullet wounds.  He didn't look like a gang member.  He actually looked vaguely familiar.  'Wonder what his name is', he thought, stitching the chest cavity up quickly and efficiently.  Then he heard it. A long Beep.  "He's flat lining! Get the defibrillator!" yelled Dr Macini.  He began massaging the heart through the open chest cavity. "Come on, come on, stay alive dammit!"

         **************************

Dorothy opened her eyes.  She was lying down on a hospital bed.  

"Dorothy, are you ok?" asked a very worried looking Bethany.  Around the room the others were assembled, either staring at her or staring at each other.  Dorothy got up slowly.  She was about to answer when a sharp pain shot through her body.  She clutched her chest and before her heart stopped, whispered "Quatre."

         **************************

She was in a white place.  The white didn't blind her though.  'Where am I?' Dorothy unconsciously reached out; she could sense him.  "Quatre…"

He was in a white place.  He reached out unconsciously; he could sense her.  "Dorothy…"

Dorothy saw him.  Quatre saw her.  They stared into each other's eyes.  Pale cerulean-lavender met bright azure.  

Those eyes that showed her kindness, shone with love for her.  

Those eyes dared him; challenged him, loved him.

They simultaneously raised a hand to touch each other.  Their fingertips touched lightly…

         ***************************

Dr Macini and his team breathed a sigh of relief.  The patient's heart had begun beating again.  "Good work everyone."  One of the nurses wiped away the sweat from the doctor's forehead as he continued to stitch up the patient.  "You're one lucky man."  Dr Macini said to the patient. 'Thank goodness I didn't stop.'

         ***************************

Bethany stared at her cousin.  The beeping sound from the heart monitor was a welcome noise in an otherwise silent room.  'Cardiac arrest…Sheesh Dorothy, I thought you were a bit fitter than that.  When you get out, I'm going to suggest a personal trainer.'  She gave a small smile, as she moved Dorothy's fringe from her eyes.  'Don't scare me like that again, cousin.'

"Excuse me, what happened here?"  Dr Rossi asked.  He had been expecting to tell this band of people the good news, in the waiting room not a hospital room with one of them hooked up to a respirator.  His eyes widened as he saw the cause. "Cardiac arrest?  I've never had someone give blood then go into cardiac arrest before."  He 'hmmed', continuing to read the chart, "She had the cardiac arrest around the same time…" He said softly to himself.  He straightened up, placing the clipboard back into its place.  "I've come with good news.  Your friend is going to be ok.  He's expected to make a full recovery.  He's still under heavy sedation but you'll be able to see him in a few hours."

A semi-loud cheer erupted in the room as the group hugged each other and murmurs of "I knew Quatre'd make it" and "everything's going to be ok" spread through the room.

"Ugh.  I have to see him."  Dorothy said hoarsely, waking up and trying to get out of the bed without tangling the respirator.

"Dorothy!"  Bethany hugged her cousin tightly, "You're awake!"

The gang's spirits were rising; everything really did look like it would get better.

"Bethany…let go…I…need…to see…Quatre." Dorothy wheezed out, as she unsteadily sat up, swinging her legs to the side of the bed.

"Whoa!  Hold on, Miss Catalonia.  You're in no shape to be moving now.  Mr Winner will still be there in the morning, I assure you.  Please just try to rest for now - " Dr Rossi was cut off by Dorothy who gave him an icy glare.

"I'm going to see him now."  She tried to stand up but her legs felt like jelly so she sat on the bed again.

"See, Miss Catalonia? You need rest.  Even if you were able to get up and go to his room, he would be asleep.  He's still heavily sedated from the operation."

Dorothy smirked at the doctor.  "Ok, Dr Rossi.  How about this:  You bring me to his room and if his asleep, then you can use restraints to keep me from moving but if he IS awake you leave me alone.  Deal?"

The doctor raised an eyebrow.  'She must be under an effect of a drug, she couldn't possibly think she could win?'  The doctor shrugged.  "Ok, if you really want to be restrained on a bed…"

The doctor and Bethany helped Dorothy into a wheelchair, while the others watched as Bethany wheeled Dorothy in the direction the doctor was headed.  

"50 bucks, blondie's right."  Said Duo, as the trio left the room.

"You're on."

         ***************************

Dorothy saw Quatre, tubes running through him, machines beeping and flashing constantly.  The doctor looked at the patient, his eyes firmly shut closed.

"See, Miss Catalonia, his asl - " Dr Rossi didn't finish as a soft voice said, "Dorothy." It was so soft it could barely be heard through the noise the machines were making.  

Dorothy bit down a 'told you so' and just settled for smirking condescendingly at the doctor.  "Bethany, help me up.  Dr Rossi, our deal?"  As Bethany helped her towards the bed, where Quatre's half-lidded eyes stared at her; the doctor stood at the door open mouthed. "How…how…" He shook his head, leaving the room as promised.

"Thank you, Bethany."  Dorothy said pointedly.

"Yeah I know, I know, I'm going.  It's good to you again, Quatre!"  With that Bethany closed the door quietly behind her, leaving Quatre and Dorothy in the hospital room alone.

"Dorothy…" Quatre said throatily, the tube affecting his speech.  Dorothy placed a well-manicured finger to his lips.

"Shh…don't try to speak…" She shifted from her sitting position on the bed until she was lying next to him.   Quatre entwined his fingers with hers as they just gazed at each other.  They leaned in, their foreheads touching lightly, their lips millimetres apart.  Emotions, words, actions, raced through both their minds - what do you do to the person who can read your mind, know what you desire, know your deepest secret with only one glance into their beautiful eyes?

Dorothy broke their gaze, moving downwards until her head rested on his chest.  His free hand ran through her pale hair.  They didn't know what to do with this…closeness, not yet anyway but together…together they would find out what it meant.  

She heard his heart beating; beating in time with hers.

_The End…of the Beginning…_

         ****************************

Person who is thrilled to have finished a WHOLE series! AND REVISED as well!:

Any mistakes, please feel free to tell me about them!

Can everyone say SAP?  This entire epilogue almost dripped it…Sorry to all those people who read my summary and were expecting one of them to die…TWO of them died instead, my apologies! ;-) This is one sappy happy, romantic ending isn't it? (Well I hope so, anyway). The sequel WILL be much lighter, and not so heavy handed (hopefully no one dies!  I think).  Well… What did you think?  Please R&R, C&C, FLAMES (I'm sure someone out there is kind enough to give me one).  I'm hoping at least seven people review so I can have a grand total of FIFTY! I never knew so many people would ACTUALLY review in the first place, and I want to show my gratitude for everyone through my THANK YOU list:

First to my beta-reader, who is ridiculously sharp, gives amazing ideas/hints/suggestions and writes GREAT skits but won't post them – **ANNE!** (I like the name Angel since he'd most definitely be blue-eyed, blond haired! ^__~ but that's just me)

To my incredibly loyal reader and reviewer, who lifts my spirits up whenever I read her reviews and whose detective fic needs to be continued! – **mama-sama!**

To another faithful reader and reviewer, **Ayanami Chan**! Whose fics are all favourites of mine.

To **Jaid Skywalker** (whose fic, she HAS TO FINISH,) gave me such nice reviews and e-mail! (Yes I'm e-mail starved ^_~)

To **fUnNiEbOnEs2k**…your nickname took me forever to write…hehe…A fellow fan of QxD and occasional best-friend ~_^

To **Meio-chan (Meio-Sei No Musume)** who really, really wanted another chapter, lol, hope these last two have been good!

To **foole** who made me realise this fic made someone laugh, which I was ecstatic over since I thought this fic was getting too heavy.

To **blue eyes,** who pushed my review count past 40!! Thanks! ^_^

To **rokjai, mariel4000, kmf, Cyberwing, Sad Angel, Winnie, Duo's ONLY Chick** and **Aria** who have all read and reviewed with such nice, positive, self-esteem lifting comments.

To **Karen**, who gave me such a generous e-mail!

AND to the very FIRST person who reviewed TCoL…**Relena Joy Peacecraft!**

**THANK YOU!!!**


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